STATELINE, NEVADA - JULY 14: Stephen Curry of the NBA Golden State Warriors hits the tee on the 7th hole on Day One of the 2023 American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on July 14, 2023 in Stateline, Nevada. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
This summer, Stephen Curry, alongside the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant, will travel to Paris in pursuit of an Olympic gold medal, one of the few pieces of hardware that he doesn’t own. With Curry headed overseas in a couple weeks, one of his most well-known hobbies will take a back seat.
Curry announced in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that he will not participate in the 2024 American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament in mid-July, passing up the opportunity at back-to-back titles in the pursuit of international athletic achievement.
“I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to defend my title at the American Century Championship in Tahoe this summer, but the chance to represent my country and, hopefully, win an Olympic gold medal for the first time at the 2024 Games in Paris is an opportunity that I simply could not pass up,” Curry said in a statement. “I look forward to returning to the shores of Lake Tahoe and creating more memories next July and in subsequent years. In the interim, I know that Dell and Seth will represent the Curry family well in my absence, but if one of them doesn’t come home with another trophy for our mantel, I will be highly disappointed!”
Curry had no shortage of brilliant moments en route to winning the 2023 championship, the highlight being a 152-yard hole-in-one. He became the first African American champion in the tournament’s 35-year history, as well as the first active athlete to win since the Tennessee Titans’ Al Del Greco in 2000.
“Well, we’ve discovered that the only thing Stephen Curry can’t do is be in two places at once,” said Jon Miller, NBC Sports’ President of Acquisitions and Partnerships, in a statement, wishing Curry and Team USA success in Paris and hinting at a Curry return for the 2025 tournament.
Following a Wednesday practice round and the Thursday Celebrity-Am, the tournament will take place from July 12-14 and feature 84 athletes and entertainers, a list that includes Seth and Dell Curry, Jerry Rice, Steve Young and Charles Woodson, among others.
Curry has three gold medals on his resumé from the 2014 FIBA Men’s World Cup, 2010 FIBA Men’s World Championship and 2007 Global Games, as well as a silver medal from the 2007 FIBA Men’s U19 World Championship, but this summer will mark the first time that the 36-year-old will participated in the Olympics. In addition to Curry, James and Durant, Team USA, coached by Steve Kerr, will feature Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Bam Adebayo and Jrue Holiday.
Originally published at Justice delos Santos