Justin Thomas and Charles Barkley share a friendly, adversarial relationship. The duo came together as commentators for Capital One’s The Match in 2020. Since then, they share a friendly bond, taking a dig at each other on national television whenever they get a chance. For instance, Justin Thomas said, “Chuck, I’d love to see your fat a– try to dunk a basketball right now,” at Capital One’s The Match. Barkley returned the favor at a 2022 match for the same event.

Their friendship has culminated on the golf course, too. The legendary basketball player has received some advice from the American golfer. And he put it to use recently while playing a friendly golf match with Colt Knost. Knost uploaded an Instagram post of the same, captioned, “The one an only @charleswbarkley calling his shot with a little help from @justinthomas34!!”

Reposting the same to his Instagram story, Justin Thomas wrote, “Couple of legends.” Thomas taught Barkley a fairway finder shot. The idea was to keep it low. This helps keep the wind’s influence lower. Knost can be heard in the post quoting Barkley saying, “I’m gonna hit this shot Justin Thomas taught me.” Knost and Barkley were playing at the challenging 13th hole at Whisper Rock.

Charles Barkley is known for his humorous and entertaining presence on golf courses. Even Justin Thomas has a similar comedic nature. The two have done commentary in multiple The Match events. Bombs Darts Birds shared an Instagram post about their work in 2024, The Match. The caption said, “Charles Barkley has always been comedy. JT has always been comedy. Those two together at TNT’s The Match in ‘24 produced some funny interactions, exactly how your foursomes should vibe— razzing each other like old friends. ⛳️”

The NBA Hall of Famer also wished the 16x PGA Tour winner a speedy recovery. The 2025 RBC Heritage champion underwent surgery to treat his herniated disc in November 2025. Since then, he has been on a golf hiatus. Thomas revealed the news through an Instagram post. He said that he had been experiencing nagging hip pain since the 2025 Ryder Cup and later revealed that the surgery was successful. Because of this, he may not be able to play some events at the start of the PGA Tour. However, Thomas aims to focus on complete recovery, not speed.

Justin Thomas aims for a complete recovery before a comeback

Whenever a golfer goes on a hiatus from professional golf because of injury, fans await their comeback. And there are many golfers who want to be back on the course as quickly as possible. Sometimes, it makes sense, too. A long hiatus can impact the performance of an athlete. Thus, some of them want to start competing on the professional circuit as quickly as possible. But it is not the same for Justin Thomas.

The 2x PGA Championship winner wants to take his time before coming back. These surgeries can be devastating. And Thomas is showing a little frustration over it. “8 days post surgery… first two weeks my instructions are ‘do nothing.’ No bending, lifting, or twisting. Definitely not getting stir crazy. Everything is fine, I’m fine 🙂,” he said while sharing an update about his surgery.

However, this does not mean he wants to get out of bed and on the course without complete recovery. “I want to be very smart and patient in letting my disc fully heal so it isn’t an issue again,” Thomas said when announcing his surgery. For now, he has plans to sit on his recliner and watch fellow golfers compete for their PGA Tour cards at the RSM Classic.

The light-hearted moment with Barkley shows that Thomas can still enjoy the game and stay connected with friends even while recovering. His focus remains on healing fully, and fans will be ready when he decides the time is right to return.