The Phoenix Suns may have walked away with the first overall pick following Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery, but social media found actress Jami Gertz to be the real star of the night.
The wife of Atlanta Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler, Gertz, 52, best known for her roles in “The Lost Boys,” “Less Than Zero” and “Square Pegs,” took on a new part as the team’s representative in Chicago.
“A lot of pressure,” Gertz said Tuesday, per the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. “And I’ve had a lot of pressure in my life. I’ve done live theater. You’ve got to come up with the goods night after night, which is a lot of pressure. Tony Ressler seems to feel like I’m his gal.
“We got one life. Why not be the one who gets to be a lottery pick?”
Gertz was good luck indeed, as the Hawks moved up from the No. 4 to No. 3 pick. They had a 42.6 percent chance of landing a top-three pick before Tuesday night’s lottery in Chicago. The Hawks also have the No. 19 and No. 30 slots in the first round.
Despite the Suns and Sacramento Kings landing ahead, with the No. 1 and No. 2 picks, respectively, Gertz became a lightning rod on Twitter as the lottery went on.
“Phew. My longtime friend Jami Gertz is trending and it’s good news!” actress Dana Delany tweeted.
“Jami Gertz was the best thing to come out of the #NBADraftLottery there I said it,” one fan posted.
“You see ‘Jami Gertz’ trending and think, WTF happened to her ?!?!?!? Then you find out she owns an NBA team with her hubby,” penned another.
Although Gertz has been married to Ressler since 1989, her businessman husband didn’t purchase the Hawks until 2015. The organization has made sweeping changes of late, hiring Travis Schlenk as general manager last year, in addition to introducing Lloyd Pierce as the head coach on Monday.
“With Lloyd and Travis being amazing hires, we are kind of like putting our stamp on it,” Gertz said. “Hopefully it will go my way [Tuesday] night, and I will continue to put my stamp on it.”