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Admitting To Golf Being ‘Uncomfortable’, LeBron James Spills On His Handicap

Samir Mehdi
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.

As if being a multi-sport athlete with proficiency in football as a receiver wasn’t enough, LeBron James has now taken on golf. With how much he’s been playing recently, this could transform into more than just a hobby, regardless of what his handicap may be.

Golf has been considered a sport filled with leisure, enjoyed by retired athletes such as Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, amongst others. However, the past few years has seen a turning point in terms of competitiveness in the cross-sport, golfing community.

The greatest example of this is Steph Curry, who won the American Century Championship in 2023. “I get way more nervous on the first tee of any event than basketball,” said Curry which goes to show just how serious some athletes take golf.

LBJ might be entering this same echelon of obsession. While speaking to GQ, he spoke on his new found love for the sport and the struggles he faces while indulging in it.

“I do feel like I’m getting better, but more importantly, I just love the challenge, man. It’s so uncomfortable. So uncomfortable. Like, everything that you thought was the right thing to do? It’s not.”

One of the best measures of how good someone is at golf is through their handicap. For the uninitiated, a handicap is a score used to gauge a golfer’s ability, represented by the average number of strokes taken for someone to complete a course either above or below the average par score.

“I had to guess, my handicap right now, would probably be like a 20, 25, something like that,” said James. This is an mediocre score, nothing too shabby but not considered good either. It fits in perfectly for someone who started taking the sport seriously a few months ago.

Clearly, he’s gotten addicted to the game. He’s taken to social media to show off playing in the rain with fans on X clamoring about his level of commitment.

Of course, this new endeavor of Bron’s didn’t come without a few jokes. Steph impersonated his golf swing after saying, “Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.” His Lakers teammates called out his “strong a** swing” as well.

At the end of the day, LeBron is committed to getting better but isn’t taking this all too seriously. “If you take yourself too seriously out there, you’re definitely going to lose every single time. We have fun with it.”

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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