What it’s like to hang out with Max Homa, according to the NBA star

Being a PGA Tour player means you get to hang out with him pretty cool company.

Take the year 2022 Championship tournament when Max Homa was introduced now –former NBA power forward Blake Griffin.

“He told me the story that I was going to visit a kid that was at his house that he went to high school with,” Griffin told GOLF Subpar co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on the episode of this week. “I went to visit him in the hospital. He was not doing well and unfortunately passed away. And I wore one of his bracelets during a game and I wore it as an interview after the game.

“He said, ‘Duke, I don’t even know if you remember this, but that kid went to my high school. You know, I knew her growing up and everyone at school thought she was so cute. And it just stuck with me forever.'”

That connection instantly bonded the two and they went out to dinner that night. Homa had just shot a 62 at East Lake during the second round of the tournament.

“This guy just shot a 64 (sic) for the tournament championship, and he’s just sitting at dinner, hanging out, talking and being the most down-to-earth guy ever,” Griffin said.

At the time, Homa’s wife, Lacey, was pregnant with the couple’s first child. So when it was time to leave, Griffin put his 9-foot, 250-pound frame to good use: He cleared the way so Lacey had room to get out.

That’s not the only player Griffin has spent time with. He also hung out with Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa at the Netflix Cup last fall at Last Vegas. He and Thomas are even reps from the same agency.

For more from Griffin, including how he got into golf, check out the full GOLF Subpar episode below.

Jack Hirsch

Editor of Golf.com

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A native of Pennsylvania, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also *tries* to remain competitive in the local amateurs. Prior to joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a television station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a multimedia journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.