Videos: Steph Curry, Justin Timberlake and Carlton are the best of golf buds
Two-time reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry listed rehab from recent ankle and knee injuries chief among his reasons to forego Team USA service at the 2016 Summer Olympics, but that didn’t stop him from having the best time ever at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship Tournament.
As USA Basketball began its exhibition schedule in anticipation of next month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Curry was busy playing a few rounds at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe, Nev.
And who could blame him?
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While the Australian Olympic Committee dubbed Rio’s athlete village “uninhabitable” and a New Zealand MMA fighter claimed to have been kidnapped by people dressed as police in Brazil over the weekend, Curry enjoyed perfect weather on a pristine course, playing alongside luminaries like Justin Timberlake and Alfonso Ribeiro, who you may know as Carlton from “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”
We’ll let the San Francisco Chronicle set the scene:
Picture this scene: Curry teed off on the par-3 hole, which is famous for bikini-clad fans throwing footballs to the golfers and similar shenanigans. It was a crazy scene made even crazier by the wattage of this particular group. The crowd was roaring, girls screaming, “JT,” and guys chanting, “MVP,” when they arrived. Then it picked up.
Curry, Timberlake and Ribeiro even did “The Carlton,” and Ribeiro’s still got it.
????GROUP CARLTON ALERT!???? @jtimberlake @StephenCurry30 @alfonso_ribeiro #ACCGolf pic.twitter.com/bpIKSYHmty
— NBCSN (@NBCSN) July 23, 2016
Of course, Curry can’t dance without doing the “Jones BBQ and Foot Massage,” so they did that, too.
Can't Stop The Feeling #ACCGolf pic.twitter.com/tW95GJAGGj
— NBCSN (@NBCSN) July 23, 2016
The good times kept rolling when Curry split the still-dancing Timberlake and Ribeiro for a diving grab of a football thrown into the mix. That ankle and knee look pretty pretty good on this one …
As Timberlake and Ribeiro mocked Curry with his familiar mouthguard as he lined up a tee shot on the 17th, the All-NBA point guard poked fun at himself, grabbing a mouthguard from Ribeiro and firing it into the crowd in recreation of his NBA Finals meltdown in Game 6 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Golden State Warriors star and Timberlake — a Memphis Grizzlies minority owner — got along famously. Referencing Game 6 of the 2015 Western Conference semifinals, Timberlake told NBC, “It says a lot about the guy that he broke our hearts two yeas ago with that 63-footer, and I still like him.”
Well, until this.
.@StephenCurry30 to @jtimberlake: NOPE! #ACCGolf pic.twitter.com/4rpuXJfRFz
— NBCSN (@NBCSN) July 24, 2016
Curry played to the crowd all weekend, shooting hoops on the side of a hole with dad Dell Curry and Warriors teammate Andre Iguodala and dunking on what Ted Cruz would call “a basketball ring.”
You the real MVP @StephenCurry30 #ACCGolf pic.twitter.com/8syTgHQXP5
— NBCSN (@NBCSN) July 23, 2016
There was some golf played, too.
cc: @warriors pic.twitter.com/4CwxBbPODH
— NBCSN (@NBCSN) July 24, 2016
Curry had his share of quality golf shots, shooting a 77 in his final round after a pair of 82s in his first two outings. He finished tied for 27th, behind his dad in 26th, Timberlake at 21st, Ribeiro in 13th and champion Mark Mulder, the former Oakland A’s southpaw who finished six-under for the tournament.
And with quality shots comes the patented Curry shimmy.
The @StephenCurry30 Shimmy! #ACCGolf pic.twitter.com/394ClHN8lV
— NBCSN (@NBCSN) July 23, 2016
Stars — they’re just like us. Except for the whole “having the time of his life playing golf in Lake Tahoe with Justin Timberlake and doing the Carlton with the actual Carlton” part. That part’s a little cooler.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
