Bruno Mars is in Los Angeles for a five-night run of his “The Romantic Tour.” The concert is taking place at SoFi Stadium, where Mars is joined by nine-time Grammy Award-winning artist and Silk Sonic collaborator Anderson .Paak, performing as DJ Pee .Wee and British singer-songwriter Raye, according to SoFi Stadium.
Amid the dancing crowd, the L.A. Lakers forward Ziaire Williams got on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend Paris Timan during Mars’ “Marry You” performance.
Sebastian Soto, a USC senior studying journalism, attended the concert and witnessed the proposal firsthand. “The proposal was really unexpected, but definitely very fun. It obviously fits the song, ‘Marry You,’” he said.
“I think the whole crowd got really happy after that, and you could tell the energy in the room was really high.”
ESPN reported that Ziaire popped the question right as the lyric hit “I think I want to marry you.” Mars then excitedly sang the lyrics, “Please say I do I do I do,” in acknowledgment.
Jax Adeva, a sophomore studying civil engineering, said the proposal matched the theme of the tour.
“I thought it lined up pretty well and, you know, the tours, ‘The Romantic’... I thought he played it pretty well,” he said.
Williams is not the only professional athlete to connect marriage with sports venues. Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift recently tied the knot at the “world’s most famous arena,” Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 3.
Their choice of venue sparked conversations over the expense of the wedding and it being in a prime area of New York City, shutting down multiple streets and causing congestion. Page Six reported that the wedding was estimated to cost $30 million or more.
“I think it has been a trend for celebrities or people of higher status…they kind of do tend to live these bigger, extravagant lives,” said Allyssa Andoval, a UCI graduate working for a ministry in Southern California.
Soto echoed that statement. “It’s not shocking that they want to do something extravagant…it’s not surprising that you’d want to go above and beyond and have a very glamorous wedding,” he said.
For some, a publicly staged proposal from Williams didn’t seem so outrageous.
“I think it’s fitting. I think it’s pretty fitting. You know, obviously, Travis Kelce getting married to Taylor Swift at MSG. That was pretty cool,” said Adeva.
Bruno Mars has two shows left in Los Angeles as his tour continues into late May of 2027. Lakers fans will be watching closely to see if Williams will be wed by then.
Edited by Ally Nakamura and Andriana Yatsyshyn