Swinging it like them: 5 NBA stars who love playing golf

What are NBA stars like away from the hardwood? What do they do in their spare time when they are not competing on the basketball floor? How do they unwind from the marathon-like feel of the regular season and the competitiveness of the NBA’s postseason?

There are a number of ways that NBA stars get away from the game and the pressure associated with it. Some NBA players turn to fashion, making sartorial choices that make them look both bold and chic. Others, like LeBron James, spend a lot of quality time with family, which helps them balance their personal and professional commitments.

Very often, particularly in the offseason, we find players vacationing overseas in exotic locations, far away from the hype and hoopla of playing basketball in the United States of America.

But the one game that really has been a constant refuge for NBA stars has been golf. From the likes of Stephen Curry to Grant Hill to JR Smith, many NBA stars over the years have taken recourse to the greens to seek rest and relaxation. We take a look at five such NBA stars who have enjoyed playing this outdoor game as much as they enjoy playing in the NBA.

#1 Steph Curry

Like his three-point shooting, Wardell Stephen Curry’s golf game is on point. He is considered by many to be the biggest and most visible celebrity golfer in the world today. There are a lot of posts on Curry’s Instagram account from the golf course, be it to pass on a social message or just because Curry is having fun with one of the greats of the game.

In his most recent Instagram post, Curry is seen hanging out with father Dell Curry and brother Seth Curry on a golf course. He writes about the game, “Not our job, just our obsession. Chasing birdies and dressed to the nines for all 18.”

#2 Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan watches a shot from the rough

There is no denying Michael Jordan’s competitiveness. He has himself admitted to this quality, whether it was in his Hall of Fame speech or in the recent The Last Dance documentary series.

MJ brought that same competitive spirit to the game of golf. There are stories galore about how he dropped 63 points on Boston in the 1986 Playoffs, having played golf with Celtics guard Danny Ainge the day before. Or that he took time off from basketball by playing a round of golf with a friend, teammate or coach. But in each of these stories runs the same common thread of Jordan being the ultimate competitor, even on the golf course.

#3 Ray Allen

Ray Allen tees off on the first hole during round one of the American Century Championship

Another great NBA marksman who simply loves the greens. Ray Allen brings the same mentality of hitting the target and getting it right from his basketball game to the golf course. He wrote about this, too, in one of his golf course posts on social media, saying, “No matter what sport you play, the pursuit for perfection is always the mission.”

But as Allen has also noted, there is no knowing what you may run into when you are playing on the golf course.

#4 Chris Paul

CP3 is referred to as Point God for his incredible handles and ability to make the right play on the basketball court. But Chris Paul also has a strong golf game. A few years ago, Paul was rated among the top five contemporary NBA players by Golf.com.

He has played alongside Tiger Woods and also hosted the Baha Mar Showdown in the Bahamas alongside NFL star Aaron Rodgers in 2019, an event that pitted golfers from the NBA against golfers from the NFL.

#5 Charles Barkley

Charley Barkley during the 2020 American Century Championship

The one person who continues to provide laughs even when he is teeing-off…or not. Charles Barkley used to be a very good golfer, but then developed a kind of “nervous twitch” that destroyed his golf swing apparently. Barkley tried to solve the problem by trying a variety of things such as “getting hypnotized” and working with Tiger Woods, but nothing seemed to solve his problem.

Although recent reports suggest that Barkley has once again rediscovered his golf swing, Jordan once famously joked about Barkley’s poor golf form, “That’s embarrassing…It’s really disgraceful that he can take a game of leisure and relaxation and make it a lot of work.”