Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker played a round of golf in Abu Dhabi after the United States basketball men’s national team’s practice on Saturday in the run-up to the Olympics.
Team USA is in Abu Dhabi for a pair of games as part of the USA Basketball Showcase. Australia is up next on Monday at noon ET, and then Team USA will play Serbia on Wednesday at noon ET.
Given Team USA’s schedule, there’s a bit of downtime for players to embark on other activities. It’s no surprise that Curry has chosen golf given his love for the sport. Per Cam Cobey for NBA.com, Curry is a scratch golfer who has been playing the sport since the age of 10. He also won last year’s American Century Championship, an athlete and celebrity golf tournament held in Lake Tahoe, Nevada every year.
That tournament is being held this weekend, so Curry couldn’t defend his crown as he gets ready for the Olympics. But he still found some time to hit the links as Team USA looks for its fifth straight Olympic gold medal.
It’s also funny to see him on the course after Team USA head coach (and his Warriors head coach) Steve Kerr had this to say recently, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic on July 7.
“This is not 1992 — Steph (Curry) and I are not going to be like (Dream Team coach) Chuck Daly and Michael (Jordan), we’re not playing golf every day,” Kerr said.
“Chuck and Michael had a great time together on game days, playing 36 (holes). Those days are long gone. We have our hands full, despite the amazing roster we have.”
Of course, one round of 18 after Team USA responsibilities are done doesn’t equate to playing golf every day, especially with the team not having a group play game for another two weeks.
This is Curry’s first time in the Olympics, although he represented Team USA in wins at the 2010 and 2014 World Championships.
Booker loves golf as well, notably saying in the video how he loves the sport giving him “peace of mind.” He also held a celebrity golf tournament last summer.
Fresh off his first NBA championship, Tatum is looking for his second Olympic gold medal. Like Curry and Booker, he is also an avid golfer, notably having played in the FedEx St. Jude pro-am last August. His foundation also holds a charity golf tournament every year.