Kobe Bryant elbowing his way through defenses is a picture that many NBA fans have etched in their memory. Stephen Curry also clearly remembers his first encounter with the Mamba and how he got his ‘welcome to the NBA moment.’
In his rookie season in 2009-10, Curry found himself guarding Bryant and was welcomed by a constant blow of elbows, which Curry thought warranted a call from the referees.
“I got switched onto him; he was giving me those body blows with his elbows.. I’m in awe of him.. My naive self is looking at the refs asking for a call like they’re gonna give me a call over Kobe Bryant.” Curry told ‘The Tonight Show’ host Jimmy Fallon during an appearance on their Thursday episode. The onslaught of the elbows only ended when Bryant converted it into a basket.
“Then he caught the ball, did a little left shoulder fadeaway, and just ran down the court. I was like ‘Alright, welcome to the NBA.’” Curry added. Fallon rightly summed it up by saying how it must’ve been really cool to be on the court with your childhood inspiration, but at the same time, it must’ve hurt.
Curry was especially lean and small by NBA standards when he came into the league. Even though he weighed pretty much the same as he does now, he hadn’t developed the build needed to stand tall with the basketball giants.
He still managed to have an impactful season, averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. A few seasons later, the three-point maestro would get a chance to get back at the Lakers legend.
“About three years later, I hit a shot on him, from the top of the key, and that was kind of his passing the torch moment back to me. He kind of gave me a little pat on the way back on court. It was kind of cool to get the initiation and then get the torch pass.” Curry recalled.
The Golden State Warriors’ superstar had a rough journey to success, with his size being a significant question mark, and his ankles getting injured repeatedly. But once he was comfortably settled in the league, he showed fans what he’s capable of.
Last year, as well, he was the anchor around which the American Olympic team rallied, and he did a stellar job of leading them to win the gold medal. But that did not happen without some help.
Stephen Curry Hails Carmelo Anthony For Helping At The Olympics Like A Third Coach
The American Olympic basketball team had Steve Kerr as their head coach, and Mark Few, Erik Spoelstra, and Mark Williams served as the assistant coaches. But Curry reveals that he had some additional help from a Redeem Team member, Carmelo Anthony.
“He was like our third coach over there. He was yelling plays and telling us what to do; he’s Mr USA. He’s played in so many Olympics. It was nice to have his presence.” Curry revealed.
Adding the gold medal to his trophy cabinet meant a big deal to the revolutionary point guard. Getting it done with a storybook ending, beating France in their capital in front of the world to see, will be a moment he’ll cherish for the rest of his life.
