CORTIS — BIGHIT Music’s newest breakout and the first K-pop act ever slated to perform at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game halftime show at Kia Forum — attended their first-ever Los Angeles Lakers game on Thursday night at Crypto.com arena.
Before tipoff, the five-member group — Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon and Keonho — toured the Lakers UCLA Health Training Center, walking the same halls as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Luka Dončić. They were gifted custom Lakers jerseys, stitched in purple and gold, and wore them proudly courtside when they were displayed on the videoboard at half-court in the third quarter.
“You can really feel the energy,” James said, leaning into the roar. “It’s electric and really captivating. As fans, it’s incredibly inspiring for us. I think we’ll take a piece of that energy with us, and that inspiration and memory will stay with us for a long time.”
Keonho, who grew up watching games on a screen half a world away, called the moment surreal. “I’ve watched a lot of basketball games on screen… Now that we’re here in LA as ‘Friends of the NBA,’ being able to experience everything in person is really exciting.”
The NBA has long understood the global language of rhythm and sport, building bridges with artists like SUGA and expanding its “Friends of the NBA” initiative. But CORTIS represents something different — a generation that doesn’t wait for permission to cross markets. Their debut album, Color Outside the Lines, cracked the Billboard 200 at No. 15. Their single “GO!” landed on NBA 2K26’s official soundtrack. Their fanbase swelled past 19 million followers in just a couple months.
Earlier Thursday, they headlined NBA Crossover at the Los Angeles Convention Center, just blocks away. Friday night, they’ll make history at the Ruffles Celebrity Game halftime show — the first K-pop act to do so — stepping onto a stage traditionally reserved for American pop royalty.
For Martin, the Lakers’ legacy hit deeper than spectacle. “Seeing how the Lakers have continued their legacy for so many years, with new rookies, new players, new challenges, really inspired us,” he said. “Since we’re still rookies too, it made me think about how we should grow steadily and carry forward our own legacy one day.”
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CORTIS, just months removed from their August 2025 debut, are still in their infancy as a group, but one day they aspire to be like the 17-time NBA Champion Lakers.
When CORTIS was shown on the video board, fans immediately reacted. Many in attendance stood and cheered. It wasn’t just a celebrity sighting. It was a cultural crossover – basketball’s best welcoming pop’s next frontier. As the Lakers went on to defeat the Mavericks 124-104, five rookies from South Korea in custom jerseys stood, clapped, and quietly studied how to build a dynasty of their own.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
