The Loop

Bubba Watson passes up open jumper, gets swatted by Tracy McGrady in NBA All-Star Celebrity game

February 16, 2018

All week, Bubba Watson couldn't stop talking about how excited he was to participate in the NBA All-Star Celebrity game, even saying that he would pull out of the Genesis Open if it had affected him getting to the game on time. That ended up not being a problem, as Watson finished off a solid one-under 70 on Friday at Riviera Country Club with plenty of time to spare.

Well, he's going to wish his second round went 7 hours long, because the two-time Masters champion is now going viral for all the wrong reasons thanks to the watchful eye of fellow tour pro Brooks Koepka. After catching a pass on a fast break, Watson passed up on a wide open jump shot from the corner, a decision that backfired VERY quickly:

No, no, no, said Tracy McGrady, who probably could have swatted Watson into oblivion/the fifth row but took it easy on him and lightly blocked it out of bounds. Bubba... what are you doing!? He could not have been more open, and he opted to take it to the rack against a former NBA All-Star. And this is after Bubba mapped out a simple game plan for himself after his round on Friday, one he completely deviated from in a big moment.

"I wasn't very good at dribbling so I definitely didn't dribble it up. I'm not like LeBron, can't play underneath and dribble it up and all that. I just played outside, played on the wing, tried to shoot 3-pointers. I can shoot, I have a little bit of touch."

For some people, going with the exact opposite of your instincts can work. Just ask George Costanza. This was not one of those cases.