How Steph compares ‘next-shot mentality’ in golf, basketball originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Basketball and golf are very different sports, to say the least, but Warriors superstar Steph Curry acknowledged how they could be similar.
While preparing for the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nev., which will air Friday through Sunday on NBC Bay Area, The Golf Channel and Peacock, Curry explained some of the lessons he’s able to take away from basketball and apply to golf and vice versa.
“The next-shot mentality is huge,” Curry told reporters Thursday. “You’ve got to have a short memory on both the basketball court and golf. Obviously the basketball court it’s a little more reactive so you don’t have much time to dwell on what’s going on. In golf, you have a long walk from the next shot to the next shot to deal with the thoughts that’s going on between the ears. That next-shot mentality, you have to have a bit of amnesia out there.
“Also, in both sports, when you find that flow, just to be able to stay in that space for as long as you can and enjoy it and lock into whatever is producing the right shots, the right visuals that you need to see. For me, when the ball is hitting the net every time, there’s no better feeling, in either sport. Golf is a little harder to find it. You have to be a little more patient and deal with, I guess, how the game of golf can humble you. I think that was probably the biggest similarities for me.”
That one might be a little easier for the 3-point king, who appears to find his flow with great ease. And when he does, opponents already know what’s coming.
He’s hoping to find a similar flow on the course this weekend as he has a very specific goal in mind. The four-time NBA champion and avid golfer recently said he is aiming to win the American Century Championship while being an active NBA player.
Curry’s basketball mentality clearly has worked for him over his 14-year NBA career — four championships, nine All-Star appearances, a pair of league MVP awards and a one-time Finals MVP. Now, he’s ready for that mentality and flow that’s led to NBA success to carry over to the green.
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