- Steph Curry reflects on his battles with Kobe Bryant
- Warriors star reveals how Kobe challenged him to be his best
- Steph details three key memories with Kobe Bryant on the court
Stephen Curry is widely regarded today as one of the greatest shooters we’ve ever seen, but there was a time when Curry still had to prove himself as one of the elites. While it took a while for some fans to catch on to Steph’s game, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant seemingly saw his talent right away and it’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed today.
In a feature with ‘Hot Ones,’ Curry was asked about his relationship with Bryant and some moments that stand out to him when he looks back to remember his experience with the basketball legend. In a video that has since gone viral, Curry detailed three separate moments that he still remembers to this day.
In his first story, Steph talks about the time when Kobe talked him up to his teammates after scoring a tough bucket in the middle.
“It was my rookie year and we were playing the Lakers at home. I come down the court and do a little pump fake and hit a leaner off the glass. And as I’m coming down the court, the camera locks in on him for some reason and he leans in on the guys sitting next to him and mouths ‘yo, he’s nice.’ That’s the dopest thing in the world, Kobe is validating your game.”
In Steph’s second story, he reflects on one of their matchups in the pre-season, when Kobe decided to pick him up half-court to send a message. Shockingly, Steph still somehow nailed a three right in Kobe’s face, to which no. 24 simply gave his competitor a congratulatory tap.
“He’s doing that mamba mentality thing where he’s picking me up full court in the first quarter of a pre-season game. You turn around and he’s standing there doing defensive slides and staying in front of you. I was like, ‘What is happening right now this is Kobe Bryant.’ So he stays with me for like four or five slides and i kind of fall off balance. After I fell, I got no option so I just shoot it. And I shot it from 30 feet and I made it and then I act like nothing happened. And he gave me like a little a** tap on the way back and I couldn’t even acknowledge that either.”
On Twitter, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor found the clips of each story so fans can get the full picture of what happened.
I dug up the videos from Stephen Curry’s stories about Kobe Bryant https://t.co/Ciyf8FJl2B pic.twitter.com/oteAi6cKX6
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) July 27, 2023
Of course, there’s a lot more to tell about the story between Steph and Kobe. We know, for example, that Bryant was the source behind Steph’s baby-faced assassin nickname and that Curry was always ready to step up when Kobe decided to challenge him.
Steph Inherited The Mamba Mentality
In the very same pre-season game mentioned above, Kobe continued to put pressure on Steph, but Curry never gave in. In fact, he only embraced the challenge and it resulted in a foul on the very next play.
After Steph’s pull up jumper, Kobe picked him up full court again the next play and Steph drove by him to draw a foul. Here’s the full sequence pic.twitter.com/0FU58aje7G
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) July 27, 2023
Sadly, we never got to see Kobe face Steph in his prime, but there was still a strong level of respect between the two.
Besides being among the best in the world at what he does, Curry’s competitive spirit and fearless approach are certainly characteristics that Kobe would be proud of and it’s no wonder why they shared so many memorable encounters.
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