The Golden State Warriors are in Japan for a pair of exhibition games against the Washington Wizards on Friday and Saturday, and on Thursday Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson decided to try their hand at the country’s national sport: sumo wrestling.
And they didn’t just take on some guy off the street. No, the Splash Brothers squared off against Hakuhō Shō, a 45-time top-division champion who owns five world sumo records. And boy did they find out the hard way just how powerful these wrestlers are.
First up was Curry, who is no weakling. Pound for pound, he’s regarded as the strongest player on the Warriors. But Shō outweighs Curry by 165 pounds, and Curry, giving it everything he had, looked like a child pushing against a brick wall. he couldn’t even budge Shō,.
Next up was Thompson, who looked similarly silly trying to move Shō,.
This really is incredible. Again, these are not weak guys. They can’t move the guy an inch. Perhaps even more impressive, Shō, then tried his hand at the Splash Brothers’ game. And listen, this guy can shoot a basketball. I’m not sure how well he can move, but look at the easy flick and clean follow through on this swish.
Don’t get it confused: That’s not just a big dude. That’s an athlete. Good times for the Warriors in Japan.