Football and basketball royalty descended on Granite Bay Golf Club this weekend as the sixth annual Phil Oates Celebrity Golf Classic kicked off with its pairings event, bringing together current and former athletes, coaches and executives for a cause that stretches well beyond the fairway. Pro Football Hall of Famer and Raiders legend Tim Brown was among the sports figures who gathered in the Sacramento area for the occasion.
The tournament, as reported by FOX40 News, benefits nine different charities, with an additional $50,000 donation earmarked for one participating organization decided during Monday night's festivities. Charity representatives are set to receive checks at the conclusion of the tournament. Sacramento Kings legend Mike Bibby also attended, alongside longtime MLB manager Dusty Baker, who is from Sacramento and said seeing people from across the country made him feel good to be from the city, per the same account.
A Reunion Rooted in Local Ties
The event, held September 13 and 14, 2026, at Granite Bay Golf Club, is hosted by tournament founder Phil Oates, chairman of the Buzz Oates commercial real estate firm, a $3 billion company founded by his late father, Marvin “Buzz” Oates, according to Comstock's Magazine. Oates launched the annual Celebrity Golf Classic in 2021 and joined the Sacramento Kings ownership group in 2013 as part of an investor syndicate organized by former Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson to keep the franchise from relocating to Seattle, according to The Kings Herald. He has held Kings season tickets since the team first moved to Sacramento in 1985, the outlet notes.
Proceeds from the tournament benefit local and statewide organizations including First Tee, Bayside Foundation, Destiny Community Services, Battlefields to Ballfields, and the UC Davis Men's Basketball program, according to ABC10. The tournament has previously served as a platform for health advocacy as well: former Kings center Scot Pollard participated following a life-saving heart transplant in February 2024, using his appearance to promote organ donation and raise awareness about medical debt faced by transplant patients, per The Sacramento Bee.
Baker's Bond With a Former Player
Baker's presence carried its own storyline. Jacque Jones, who played for Baker with the Chicago Cubs, now coaches alongside him with Team Nicaragua for the World Baseball Classic. Jones told FOX40 News that Baker was a major inspiration and like a father to him, underscoring the mentorship ties that run through the tournament's celebrity field.
Perry Preaches Patience for the Kings' Rebuild
Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry, who is entering his first full season as the team's general manager, also attended, alongside current Kings wing Nique Clifford. Perry said patience will be important as Sacramento seeks to become a consistent contender in the Western Conference, with the team planning to build a sustainable roster rather than chase an overnight fix, per FOX40 News.
Perry assumed his role on April 21, 2025, and led the franchise through a 2025–26 season that ended with a 22–60 record, a finish that marked only the second 60-loss season in the franchise's Sacramento history, according to Sports Illustrated. Sacramento selected point guard Darius Acuff Jr. seventh overall in the June 2026 NBA Draft to lead the backcourt rebuild alongside Clifford, a second-year wing drafted in 2025 as part of a rookie class that also included Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, according to A Royal Pain. Head coach Doug Christie, who took over the Kings bench during the 2024–25 season, was officially retained for 2025–26 to partner with Perry on the rebuild, per Wikipedia.
Simmons Joins the Roster Amid Debate
The Kings have also added Ben Simmons, who FOX40 News described as healthy and returning to the basketball court after a couple of years away. Sacramento signed Simmons to a one-year, $3.5 million contract featuring $1 million guaranteed if he makes the opening-night roster, according to CBS News. Simmons sat out the entire 2025–26 season recovering from back and leg injuries before signing the prove-it deal with the Kings, the outlet reports.
The signing has not gone unquestioned. Former NBA veteran Patrick Beverley publicly criticized the move, arguing that unearned comeback opportunities were being handed to returning stars over G League grinding veterans like Victor Oladipo, according to BasketballNews. The tournament in Granite Bay continues Monday with the golf competition itself and the charity presentations, closing out a weekend that blended Sacramento's basketball future with its philanthropic present.
