Phil Oates Celebrity Golf Classic features former Kings and pro football Hall of Famers

Brad Miller was impossible to miss. The 6-foot-11 former Sacramento Kings center, clad in colorful shorts and with his long hair running down the sides of his golf hat, was being glad-handed by he everyone saw.

Minutes later, a darkly tinted SUV pulled up and out popped former Kings point guard Mike Bibby, matching his transportation in a black Jordan Brand golf polo and Cement IV basketball shoes outfitted with golf spikes. It was a scene reminiscent of a playoff game at Arco Arena circa 2004. Only the year is 2023, and the long-retired NBA stars were there for something a bit more relaxing: a round of golf at the Phil Oates Celebrity Golf Classic.

“I’ll probably make it a yearly thing now,” Bibby said, smiling, looking around and enjoying the pristine October weather on Monday. “It’s good to see so much green.”

Bibby was admiring the trees and lush grass at the immaculate North Ridge Country Club nestled between Carmichael and Fair Oaks, east of Sacramento.

But the “green” would have also worked in reference to the fundraiser he was there to attend. The scramble tournament, put on by Phil Oates, a minority owner of the Kings and chairman of Buzz Oates Commercial Real Estate, was expected to raise roughly $400,000 for local charities for the second year in a row.

Miller, who has run a charity golf event in his home state of Indiana for 20 years, said he offered some advice to Oates about running a similar event.

“His is a little bit of a different style with some big names and celebrities,” Miller said. “But it’s a cool way he’s done it.”

Along with Miller and Bibby, other big names attending the event included Hall of Fame football players Marcus Allen, Ronnie Lott, and Marshall Faulk; two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Jim Plunkett; former major leaguer and Sacramento native Greg Vaughn; former San Francisco Giants shortstop Royce Clayton; former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres pitcher (and U.S. Senate hopeful) Steve Garvey; and television stars Anthony Anderson and Cedrick the Entertainer.

The event began with a glitzy party north of Sacramento Sunday night that included silent and live auctions for autographed sports and music collectibles, including a Taylor Swift signed record and collage.

The proceeds from the event will benefit St. John’s Program For Real Change, Capital Christian School, the American Heart Association, Bayside Church, Anrak, ACED, Susan Rogers Scholarships, Jenna & Patrick’s Foundation of Hope, Battlefields 2 Ballfields and All-Stars Helping Kids.

“I love Sacramento and I know a lot of people in Sacramento,” Oates said. “So my first goal was to blend my friends in Hollywood with my friends in Sacramento.”

Added Miller: “It’s good to get some of those — we call them L.A. people — up here to Sac Town.”

The tournament was made up of teams playing in five-man scrambles with the opportunity to buy strokes and/or mulligans with donations. This marked the third year of the event, which has raised more than $1 million for charities since its inception.