If you’re watching the NCAA basketball national championship on Monday night, there is a good chance New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. might pop onto the screen at some point. And he’ll be rooting for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
That white light that might have interrupted Saturday night's game when North Carolina slipped past Oregon to reach the championship game, that was Beckham. He was there courtside -- sitting near Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald -- iced out from hair to toes whooping it up for the Tar Heels.
Beckham was even hanging inside the tunnel prior to the game where he flashed some dance moves for North Carolina players and shook hands with coach Roy Williams.
Odell Beckham Jr. cheering on North Carolina players before the #FinalFour game pic.twitter.com/5wFJlAouuN
— Alysha Tsuji (@AlyshaTsuji) April 2, 2017
There is at least a reason Beckham is rooting for the Tar Heels, who are looking for redemption after losing last season on a buzzer-beater by Villanova's Kris Jenkins in the title game. Beckham claims to be a North Carolina fan.
"I always said if I ever was to play basketball or pursue basketball, the only way is if I had an offer from UNC to play basketball," he told USA Today’s For the Win. "I went to Roy Williams' camp when I was younger. I still remember walking in there and everything like that. I’ve just always been a UNC fan."
Beckham, 24, will probably be back for more on Monday night. He spends most of his offseason in the Los Angeles and Phoenix areas (at least when he’s not on tour with his buddy Drake). This year’s Final Four is being held in Glendale, Arizona, and the Tar Heels are participating.
It’s the perfect mix of celebrity, sport and entertainment as Beckham continues to enjoy his offseason and life. It's good to be Odell Beckham Jr., one of the NFL's biggest stars and a North Carolina fan, these days.