LAKE TAHOE, Nev. – After taking a year off from playing at the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe, basketball superstar Stephen “Steph” Curry is poised to defend his 2023 title. The Caesars Sportsbook has placed Curry with defending 2024 champion Mardy Fish at the top of the odds sheets with a 2.4-1 (meaning, a $100 bet on either of them will win you $240 should they win). Perennial fan favorite Charles Barkley, the basketball Hall of Famer and TV analyst, is at the bottom of the board, listed at 7500-1.
Curry did not play in the popular 2024 celebrity tournament due to the Summer Olympics in Paris, where he and the U.S. Team won a gold medal. In 2023, he vaulted into contention with a Saturday hole-in-one and then captured the title with an eagle putt on the final hole Sunday, edging out Fish.
Newly-retired NHL star Joe Pavelski is next on the list at 3-1, followed by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and TV analyst Tony Romo at 4.5-1 and Hall of Fame pitcher and TV analyst John Smoltz at 5.5-1.
Annika Sorenstam, the greatest player in the history of women’s golf, and former standout MLB pitcher Mark Mulder are both at 6.5-1. Romo and Mulder have each won the tournament three times, while Pavelski and Smoltz have both had two runner-up finishes. Annika has achieved second and third-place finishes.
Caesars Sportsbook is once again offering a prop bet on where Barkley will finish in the field of 92, setting 65.5th as the place that bettors will use to predict his finish. Barkley came in 58th last year after a stretch of 21 years in which he came in no better than 74th.
Among the other contenders are two active athletes who are stars in their respective sports. Austin Reaves, the Los Angeles Lakers guard, is 18-1 after finishing 13th in his debut last year. Alex Caruso, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard now celebrating his second NBA Championship, stands at 22-1 as he plays the tournament for the first time.
Additional prominent names on the odds board are Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (40-1), Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (125-1), Sacramento Kings standout Zach LaVine (200-1), San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, breakthrough comedian Nate Bargatze and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (all at 250-1), Florida Panthers standout and newly-crowned NHL Champion Matthew Tkachuk (300-1), New Heights Podcast co-host and former Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Champion Jason Kelce and Jacksonville Jaguars star quarterback Trevor Lawrence (both 350-1).
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is playing in the tournament for the first time and is listed at 500-1, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams are both listed at 1000-1.
The tournament, now in its 36th year, is presented by American Century Investments. The event has raised over $8 million for a host of national and regional non-profits. It is already sold out for Satuday though week-long passes are still available. Tickets can be purchased on line HERE. Tickets are not sold at the gate.