Greatness recognizes and respects greatness. That’s how Steph Curry felt when he shared the court with Kobe Bryant during his early NBA seasons. The Warriors superstar vividly remembers several instances he had with the Black Mamba, but one story in particular stood out from the rest. Let’s turn the clocks back to 2016, when the Baby-Faced Assassin spoke with GQ and revealed his all-time favorite Bryant moment.
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“Our rookie year, we were playing at Oracle and they had a 3-point lead down the stretch,” Curry recalled to the famed outlet at the time. “He got fouled, going to the free throw line to ice the game with two free throws.” For some reason, Curry got it in his head that he would try to psych Bryant, an 83% lifetime free throw shooter, out before his shots.
“I walk up to him as he’s walking to the free throw line: “Hey, man, you nervous about these free throws?” But the Mamba had ice in his veins — and no-sold the attempt, according to The Chef. Not only that, but Kobe gave Curry a look that would live with the now four-time NBA Champion forever. “The look he gave me was so just mean and cold. Just like, “What are you talking about? Get out of my face, you dumb rookie.”
But did Curry’s mind games work? On a weaker-minded player sure, but this was The Mamba. “He obviously made the two free throws and they won. I’ll remember that look he gave me forever.” The Chef trying this move isn’t just a hilarious story but proves that the 3-point God had that dog in him from the very beginning. This also wasn’t the last time the two all-time greats faced off.
Kobe Bryant once bodied Curry during a pre-season matchup
Curry not only got psyched out by Kobe, but he also got bodied to the ground. The future Hall of Famer revealed on an old episode of The Knuckleheads podcast that the Lakers legend once the first player to “bust his a**.” He explained that the Mamba once gave it to him in a 2009 preseason game.
Kobe took Curry to the post and put his shoulder into him for positioning, a move that had Curry going to the refs. “I’m trying to get away, trying to get away,” he stated on the interview. I’m yelling at the ref thinking they’ll call on offensive foul on him.”
What Curry didn’t realize was that was the beginning of the end. “He got the ball, one quick shoulder to the chest and threw me back 5 feet. One turnaround jumper and that was a wrap,” he admitted.
The move was one that we saw the late Kobe Bryant make all the time. Perhaps that early tough love hardened Curry into the championship-caliber player he became. It wouldn’t have been the first time the Mamba had such an effect.
