Steph Curry breaks down how Kobe Bryant gave him his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment while on the Knuckleheads podcast.
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It’s easy to forget that Steph Curry didn’t burst onto the scene as the number one offensive option that he is today. Guys like Brandon Jennings, who seemed to be off to an incredible start to their career, fizzled out with the Golden State Warriors sharpshooters refined his skills and slowly but surely, led the Bay to the Playoffs.
While Steph Curry was finding his way through the league and rising up the ranks, Kobe Bryant was winning championships without Shaq for the first time while also battling through some horrid Lakers seasons.
In the midst of this, October of 2009 saw the Los Angeles Lakers duke it out against the Golden State Warriors in a preseason. According to Curry, his first preseason game against the Lakers was the moment he realized that he had officially made it to the NBA.
Steph Curry reveals that Kobe Bryant was the first person to bust his a** in the NBA.
A staple on ‘The Knuckleheads’ podcast is Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles asking their guests who was the first player to bust their a** in the NBA. Steph Curry was asked the same question and his answer was Kobe Bryant.
“Stack Jack (Stephen Jackson) got thrown at halftime during a preseason game so for some reason I got switched onto him [Kobe Bryant]. He busted my a** on one possession. So he like, walked me down to the post, called for the ball and he grabbed my knee and won’t let me move.”
“I’m trying to get away, trying to get away. I’m yelling at the ref thinking they’ll call on offensive foul on him. He got the ball, one quick shoulder to the chest and threw me back 5 feet. One turnaround jumper and that was a wrap.”
Curry would go on to show love to Brandon Jennings who had his 55 point game for the Milwaukee Bucks in his rookie season against Steph’s Warriors, saying Jennings was the second dude to bust his a** in the league.
