Stephen Curry recently appeared on the iconic show ‘Hot Ones.’ While feasting hot wings with spicy sauces, Steph made some incredible revelations, including one about Kobe Bryant. When Steph once took an iconic shot against Kobe Bryant, he was surprised to note how the Mamba gave him an unusual tap of appreciation. Kobe was surprised to see the ‘Baby Faced Assassin’ overcoming his defense and displaying his shooting prowess against the Lakers.
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Stephen Curry is currently busy giving several interviews to promote his new documentary film “Underrated.” While trying to promote his film, Curry gave an incredible interview, revealing some of his favorite moments with the Mamba, Kobe Bryant.
Kobe Bryant gave Stephen Curry an Unusual tap of Appreciation after his Iconic Shot Against the Lakers
Kobe Bryant was among the first players to recognize Stephen Curry’s potential. He had picked on Steph’s new nickname, Baby Face Assassin, and identified the killer instinct in the Davidson rookie. One of Steph’s favorite interactions with Kobe came when the Golden State Warriors were playing the Lakers at home.
An interesting incident involving Steph and Kobe was during a pre-season game. Bryant, once again, was hounding Steph on defense, displaying his ‘Mamba mentality’ against the young Warriors team. While Steph Curry was seemingly tired in a pre-season game, Kobe was undeterred and in an ultra-competitive mood even then. After a fall, Curry made a 30ft shot inside the hoop. Kobe was again impressed, and Steph wanted to remain cool about it. Describing this incident, he said,
“I act like nothing happened. So its like the biggest, ‘keep your cool’ kind of moment in your life, because, you know its freaking Kobe. You’re trying to be super chill about it. But I just, you know, drain one from 30 on it. After he picked me up, he gave me like this little a** tap on the way back and I couldn’t even acknowledge that either. I kind of just like knocked him off and act like I was playing on defense. I went right back in at halftime and I was like ‘I need that clip.'”
This was surely a star-struck moment for Chef Curry. While Mamba’s legacy remains an inspiration for top players like Stephen Curry, there is a possibility that the Baby-Faced Assassin might soon even top Kobe’s 81-point game. But for Curry, this does not seem like a possibility. He said, “Not a chance. There’s a reason why people are still talking about that game to this day. It’s so special.”
Kobe Bryant had long Recognized Stephen Curry’s Killer Instinct as a Rookie
Steph was playing his rookie year for the Warriors in 2009. Although the Lakers were beating the Warriors, Curry tried his best to give it his best in the game. Kobe came out from the bench and started hounding Curry in defense. Steph hit a pump fake and a leaner off the glass for the bucket.
Curry mentioned how, after making the impressive 30ft shot, he tried to maintain his cool demeanor, but inside, he was thrilled to earn Kobe’s respect. This was enough to impress Kobe, who was seen mouthing his appreciation for Curry to his teammates.
