Ben Affleck and his 12-year-old son, Samuel, are having some quality father-son bonding time.
The pair had front-row seats to a star-studded showdown in the NBA on Thursday, February 6, sitting courtside as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors, 120-112, at Crypto.com Arena. (Affleck, 52, shares Samuel as well as daughters Violet, 19, Seraphina, 16, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.)
Samuel made sure to rep his home team for the game, rocking a white LeBron James Lakers jersey over a black hoodie. Cameras caught him and his dad repeatedly matching their facial expressions as they watched L.A. cruise to its fourth win in a row. Affleck’s youngest was also seen chowing down on some chicken fingers, an arena staple, while dad enjoyed a Diet Coke.
The two Lakers fans were later seen chatting with Warriors star Stephen Curry after the game. Curry, 36, finished with 37 points, while James, 40, led all scorers with 42 points and 17 rebounds.
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Fatherhood fun! Ben Affleck has given rare glimpses of his bond with his and Jennifer Garner’s three kids over the years. The actor first became a dad in December 2005 when he and the Alias alum welcomed daughter Violet, six months after tying the knot in France. The then-couple went on to welcome daughter Seraphina […]
It’s not the first time Affleck and Samuel cheered on their team in person. They were most recently seen courtside in November for a Lakers win over the Toronto Raptors. Last March, Affleck’s ex-wife, Jennifer Lopez, joined them for another game.
Affleck and Samuel’s latest NBA outing comes a month after the actor finalized his divorce with Lopez. The couple first dated from 2002 to 2004 before reuniting in 2021. They married the following year before separating in April 2024.
Before that, Affleck was married to Garner from 2005 to 2015, finalizing their divorce three years later.
“After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” they said in a joint statement in 2015. “We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to coparenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding.”
An insider later told Us Weekly exclusively that the former couple was committed to figuring out how to best coparent their three kids.
“Things come up between them, but they are committed to doing the best they can for the kids,” the insider revealed in March 2020. “They stay on top of things and have a lot of meetings and check-ins. They want to be the best parents they can for the kids. If they have differences, they keep it to themselves and don’t let it have an impact. They always put on happy faces for the kids and put their well-being first.”
The exes remain committed to coparenting, most recently seen together at a school play on January 26. They were previously spotted in November volunteering together with charity organization Midnight Mission to help feed the unhoused community over Thanksgiving. Lopez and Garner have also been talking, a source told Us.
“She’s been helpful to J.Lo, and they’ve been relating to each other,” the insider said in July 2024. “Jennifer has been a surprising person for J.Lo to talk to.”
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