Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the talented basketball players of Golden State Warriors, showed their skills in sumo wrestling during their team’s tour in Japan. They were challenged by retired legend Hakuho Sho, but both were unable to defeat him during Thursday’s practice. Dubbed as the ‘Splash Brothers’, Curry and Thompson will be playing in Friday’s preseason game against the Washington Wizards at the Saitama Stadium. While Curry, who stands at six-foot-three inches and weighs 185-pounds, attempted to put the highly-decorated Sho on the ground first, he failed to move the six-foot-four inches and 348-pound Sho in front of his teammates.
Steph Curry couldn’t budge Hakuho Sho during practice on Thursday, even though he gave it his all.
Hakuho Sho, the Sumo Champion, has set an unbeatable record of 16 undefeated championships. Even though the point guard learned a few techniques from Suko, such as starting off a wrestling match and putting weight on his opponent by bending knees, they didn’t work against Suko, who was dressed formally, leaving Curry exhausted. Trying to show some appreciation for the Japanese culture, Curry bowed in front of Suko. Klay Thompson, the shooting guard, entered the ring next, but he couldn’t destabilize Suko either, despite his height and weight of 220 pounds and six-foot-six inches. After catching his breath, Thompson expressed his disbelief and admitted his failure to move the yokozuna, saying, “I can’t.”
Klay Thompson, famously known as the other half of the ‘Splash Brothers,’ attempted to push Kho during a wrestling match but unfortunately failed. Despite his five-year deal with the Warriors worth a whopping $189 million, Thompson returned to the ring for a second chance against Kho, only lasting two seconds before eventually giving up. After their wrestling match, Kho showcased his basketball skills by making consecutive shots with ease. The Mongolian-born Japanese sumo wrestler holds an impressive record, having won 86 out of 90 matches in a year and going on to achieve the second-longest winning streak in the sport’s history in 2010. Suko also holds the record for 16 undefeated tournament championships, making him one of the most dominant figures in sumo wrestling history. In fact, a Washington Post columnist dubbed him as the ‘greatest figure in sports, ever.’ Suko retired in 2021 at the age of 37, after obtaining Japanese citizenship in 2019.
During practice, Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors had the chance to meet Sumo wrestler Hakuho Sho. They were spotted together on the court, posing for photos and chatting. It was a unique opportunity for the basketball star to interact with someone from a completely different world of sports.