Stephen Curry surprisingly brings up Lakers as reason for success at celebrity golf tournament

The Los Angeles Lakers seemed to have played a role in Stephen Curry’s wildly successful stint at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship Tournament, which was held at Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nev.

When asked sometime before winning the tournament about how he had been doing well so far, the Golden State Warriors superstar credited his early exit in the 2023 NBA Playoffs at the hands of the Lakers.

“Losing to the Lakers,” Curry said. “I had an early start on Tahoe prep. That’s it.”

The Lakers and Warriors faced off in the second round of the previous postseason. It was a highly anticipated matchup, as it marked the first time Lakers superstar LeBron James met his rivals in a best-of-seven series in the Western Conference.

Los Angeles proved to be the better team, eliminating Golden State in six games after taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the round. Curry did his best to help the Warriors put up a fight, averaging 26.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per match.

However, the Lakers displayed better teamwork, with six players contributing at least 10.3 points per game, led by James’ 24.7 markers per contest. Unfortunately, the Western Conference Finals was the farthest L.A. could get, as the Denver Nuggets swept the team on their way to the championship.

As for Golden State, it was left reeling after failing to defend its 2022 title. At least Curry managed to see the bright side of the loss.

The recently concluded ACC Championship was quite eventful for the two-time MVP. He also made headlines after scoring a hole-in-one on the 152-yard seventh hole. Even James had a fiery reaction to the feat.

While the nine-time All-Star has made his mark in the sports world through his basketball prowess, he has also shown to be quite skillful in golf. He even won the recent golf tournament with a clutch eagle on the final hole.

It remains to be seen if Curry can maintain his inspired performance in the 2023-24 NBA season. The Warriors bolstered their roster by adding Chris Paul and shipping Jordan Poole away. Some pundits consider the move an upgrade because it could improve the squad’s playmaking even more.

Of course, the Lakers also had busy offseason, signing and trading for key players that appear to be good fits with the franchise’s core group.