The NBA features a small community of peers, so it makes sense a few players will sometimes get together to play some golf. Knicks wing J.R. Smith is one of the biggest golf fanatics in the Association, and he’ll often play with fellow golf fans like Stephen Curry and Chris Paul. Paul, though not an amazing golfer, is pretty good at dishing out the smack to JR on the links.
Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling recently went golfing with Smith at his charity event and talked to him about his passion for the sport.
It seems Smith has a usual coterie of players he’ll tee off with, including Steph, CP3:
“When I go to L.A., I’ll play with CP [Chris Paul], his brother [C.J.] and his dad [Charles]. We play all the time. In Charlotte, I’ll play with Steph [Stephen Curry]. When I’m around [New York], I’ll play with John [Starks] and Herb [Williams]. And then, of course, I play with my brother [Chris]. He started [golfing] when he was 11 years old. He’s got golf trophies and everything. He doesn’t play as much as me, but when he does, he’s good.”
When Zwerling asked Smith about each player’s golf game, J.R. was effusive in praising Curry, saying “Steph is unbelievable. Steph and Ray Allen. I haven’t played with Ray yet,” but describes CP as “all right. He needs to work on it because he doesn’t play as much as I do.”
Despite Paul’s lack of experience playing golf, he doesn’t mind reminding Smith he might be carrying over some of his bad habits from the hardwood to the the verdure of the faraway:
Zwerling: Is there trash-talking between you guys?
Smith: Not so much with Steph, but CP, hell yeah. CP is like, when I hit a bad shot, “Way to be yourself, shooting bad shots.” If he hits a bad shot, I don’t really say too much because he doesn’t play as much.
Outstanding.
Still, when Zwerling asks him to give his top five golfers in the NBA, Paul makes the cut:
“Steph No. 1, then Ray, me, CP and then maybe Big Baby [Glen Davis]. I heard he’s good, but I haven’t seen him play.”
It seems one of Smith’s teammates, Carmelo Anthony, isn’t much of a golfer, either:
Zwerling: Does ‘Melo have the same shooting touch on the course?
Smith: ‘Melo has played, but he hates it. We recently played in Puerto Rico, along with Tim Hardaway Jr., during his charity weekend. ‘Melo just can’t pick it up so easily. He’s not as bad as [Charles] Barkley, but he’s not that good, either.
To recap, Chris Paul is “all right” at golf according to J.R., but CP3 has no qualms talking smack to Smith on the golf course, despite the fact Smith is a better player, since he plays more than the Clippers’ point.
Truly marvelous that Paul still runs his mouth even though he’s not that good a golfer. It’s exactly what we’d expect from the 6-foot bundle of ferocity steering the Clippers’ attack.
Head on over to Bleacher Report to read the rest of Jared’s Q&A.
(B/R)
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