The most awkward high fives in sports history

High fives nearly turned obsolete during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with vaccines rolling out, the ever-popular hand gesture can begin to make its return!

For those of you out of practice, remember to focus on the elbow, not the hand, of the person you are greeting.

And whatever you do, do not duplicate the sad attempts of these sports stars who failed miserably at the art of the hand slap.

In honor of National High Five Day on April 15, let's look back at some of the most awkward high fives in sports history.

Tommy Fleetwood’s face-palm

Quite a few golf stars are surprisingly bad at the high five.

Take, for example, British golfer Tommy Fleetwood, who experienced an unfortunate blooper right after he hit a 40-foot birdie putt at the WGC-Mexico Championship in 2017.

Somehow his precision with the putter didn't translate to equally accurate hand-eye coordination.

Not only did he miss the square of his caddie's palm, but Fleetwood's hand ricocheted backward and smacked him right in the face. How embarrassing.

Tiger Wood's Masters mishap

Poor high five technique is not a new phenomenon on the golf course.

During the 2005 Masters, one of the greatest of all time botched the simple hand gesture while celebrating an unthinkable chip shot on Hole 16.

First, Tiger misses caddie Steve Williams' hand completely, but tries to recover with a low-five. At the same time, Williams goes high, which only increases the awkwardness of the moment, until the two meet in the middle for a slightly less uncomfortable hand slap.

Josh Hart's eternal high five struggles

When New Orleans Pelicans guard Josh Hart was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, his fanbase quickly picked up on an unfortunate habit of his.

Hart consistently got snubbed on high fives during games. It happened so often that a member of Lakers Nation took the time to analyze the issue and uncover the root of the cause.

According to film room analysis, Hart boasted a paltry 28% high five success rate, predominantly because of his issues with timing. His technique and floor vision were also attributed to his struggles, which continued after he got traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019. 

Curry leaves Draymond hanging

Another NBA star who got a slice of humble high five pie is Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.

During a 2013 matchup between the Warriors and New York Knicks, Steph Curry hit a huge three-pointer in the fourth quarter, which prompted Draymond to lift his hand in the air, awaiting Curry to meet it.

Despite running right through Draymond's path, Curry seemed not to notice his teammate's hand and shimmied down to the onlooking fans, while Green stood dumbfounded at the end of the court.

Karma for Curry

In 2016, Curry got a taste of his own medicine when he accepted his second league MVP trophy from commissioner Adam Silver.

As Silver lauded Curry for his impressive season, the Warriors guard reached his hand out for a low-key high five, which Silver seemed to completely overlook.

Curry then tried to play it cool by rocking his head back and forth as if he was attempting a discreet dance move all along.

His recovery makes the failed high five a little less noticeable, but we all know Silver left him hanging.

Mark Wahlberg ignores Patriots owner Robert Kraft

One high five catastrophe everyone definitely noticed was this cringe-worthy effort by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

During a 2014 Patriots game, Kraft turned to movie star Mark Wahlberg to cheer on a Rob Gronkowski touchdown. 

Not only does Wahlberg ignore Kraft's initial effort, but he continues to look on as Kraft slaps him on the shoulder to try to get his attention. 

Kraft's failed second attempt makes this high five flop all the more humiliating.

Tom Brady's high five Hall of Fame

To help make Kraft feel better after the Wahlberg offense, former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was quick to point out that he would love a high five from Kraft — because he can never seem to get one from anyone else.

Yes, the greatest quarterback of all time is also the GOAT of awkward high fives.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion first gained notoriety for his high five fiascos, when he was seen walking up and down the sideline searching for someone to celebrate a touchdown with him during a Patriots game.

He endured similar shame when reaching out to former teammate Julian Edelman, who breezed right past Brady on the bench without even flinching.

Likewise, during a game between New England and Pittsburgh — in which Brady threw four touchdown passes! — two of his teammates totally ignored his high five request, before LeGarrette Blount saved the day.

Tom even tried to high five a ref last year during the Buccaneers' playoff win against the New Orleans Saints.

To no one's surprise, Brady was once again denied.

At least he has a sense of humor about his high five failures.