Michael Jordan, Ray Allen, J.R. Smith and Stephen Curry share one more bond beyond basketball: an obsession with golf. Now, if you had to pick one of these guys as the best golfer, who’s your choice? Most of us might instantly lean toward Curry (no disrespect to MJ), right? But wait, J.R. Smith, who’s an insider in both worlds, just dropped a name that nobody saw coming. And according to him, this mystery baller could actually take down Steph Curry on the golf course.

Curry’s been swinging a golf club since he was 10. He’s a bona fide scratch golfer—shooting par or better, a feat fewer than 2% of amateurs achieve. For a guy whose day job is dropping threes in the NBA, that’s seriously impressive. But J.R. Smith isn’t convinced Steph’s the best baller on the course. In fact, he believes his guy could outplay Curry. Bold claim, right?

On a recent episode of Whiskey Ginger with Andrew Santino, J.R. Smith dropped a name that had everyone scrambling to Google. It was Gerald Henderson. Smith said, “It’s a tough competition between him (Steph Curry) and Ray (Ray Allen),” But then totally surprised the host by saying, “But you know honestly, you know who’s the best golfer, Gerald Henderson.” 

Naturally, people were like, “Wait, which Gerald Henderson?” If it were the senior Henderson, that’d be a huge deal. But nope, Smith cleared it up: “Henderson went to Duke, played for Charlotte Hornets. Yeah, well, he played for the Bobcats when they were the Bobcats.” So, it’s the younger Henderson. His father, Hall-of-Famer Gerald Henderson Sr., was an accomplished amateur golfer—apparently passing those skills to Jr. Still, comparing him to Steph Curry might be stretching it a bit. What do you think?

Stephen Curry and his deep connection to golf

Steph Curry once said, “It’s something about this game. I don’t know how to explain it, but it brings a lot out of you.” At first, you might think he’s talking about basketball. Which gives him the bread and butter. But surprisingly enough, he’s actually talking about golf. Now, remember this take is coming from the same guy who’s already smashed countless basketball records. He’s the NBA’s all-time 3-point king and a four-time champ. Yet, despite all that, his passion for golf is as strong as it gets.

And if you think that this rare golf talent comes naturally to Curry, then you would be wrong. He might have a gift for golf, but he also puts a lot of effort and passion behind this. As to really sharpen his skills, Curry even trained with Butch Harmon, one of the best golf coaches out there. Harmon couldn’t pull himself back from praising Curry. “He’s an incredibly talented golfer, with tremendous, natural ability.” Harmon said. He also added, “He(Curry) played in a Web.Com event and shot 74-74, which is remarkable for an athlete from another sport…”  Sure, being an elite athlete has its perks, but getting praised by a legend like Harmon is not an easy feat.

So, you see, when a golf legend like Harmon vouches for Curry’s skills. J.R. Smith’s recent claim about Gerald Henderson being the best golfer? Well, it kind of loses some shine next to that.