Steph Curry, like all players in his generation, grew up watching Kobe Bryant win championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. It's why he'll always remember his first few interactions with the late, great superstar.
Curry recently shared three specific Bryant stories he holds close to his heart while appearing on the "Hot Ones" show with host Sean Evans.
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The first story is from Curry's rookie season in 2009-10, when he was a 21-year-old trying to find his way in the NBA while Bryant was in his 14th year. In a game against the Lakers at Oracle Arena, Curry made a nifty move near the paint and banked in a step-back jumper off the glass. After Curry made that shot, the game broadcast immediately panned over to Bryant, who was sitting on the bench and appeared to be impressed.
"That's the dopest thing in the world," Curry said to Evans. "Kobe is validating your game."
The second anecdote Curry shared was from a preseason matchup between the Warriors and Lakers, again early in the Splash Brother's career. Bryant, in typical "Black Mamba" fashion, guarded Curry 94 feet down the court. Curry was knocked off-balance by the bigger, stronger Bryant and chucked up a 3-point attempt out of desperation from 30 feet. Swish.
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"And then I acted like nothing happened," Curry said. "It was like the biggest keep-your-cool moment of your life because it's freaking Kobe. You're trying to be super chill about it. ... He gave me a little ass tap on the way back. I couldn't acknowledge that either, I kind of knocked him off and acted like I was playing defense.
"I went right back in at halftime and was like, 'I need that clip. Bring me that back. I need that on my phone.' "
The final memory Curry shared on "Hot Ones" was when Bryant acknowledged the Warriors guard having a "killer instinct" on the court. Curry always plays with a big smile and an unmatched level of joy, but Bryant saw right through that. He knew the "Baby-Faced Assassin" was different from the start.
"For someone to validate you like that -- he's not giving out compliments like that -- that was truly special," Curry said.