“Biggest keep your cool kind of moment in your life”: Steph Curry recalls earning Kobe Bryant's respect after Mamba tried to size him up
Kobe Bryant could be placed among the NBA's fiercest competitors of all time.
His "mamba mentality" has even become a mantra for many basketball players in various leagues worldwide.
But if you think the mamba mentality is only for the regular season and playoffs, Steph Curry shared that one time, Bryant's signature desire to win was on full display in a preseason game.
"We were playing in a preseason game. He's doing that mamba mentality thing, where he's picking me up full court in a preseason game," Curry described the experience in a recent episode of the Hot Ones podcast.
Steph Curry continued, "In the first quarter, I'm like, you turn around and he's like this -- like standing there and like doing defensive slides like staying in front of me like, 'Yo! What is happening right now? This is freaking Kobe Bryant.'"
Bryant's defensive scheme worked as Steph Curry admitted that his game shape then was not yet where it was supposed to be.
"So he stays with me for like four or five slides, and then he bumps me, and I kind of like fall off balance. So I'm actually gassed at this point. I'm tired of just trying to get in shape in the preseason game, and he's just going, you know, all out on the defensive pressure. He's way bigger and stronger than me. He's bumping me and doing all that," Curry further said.
Steph Curry got one over on Kobe Bryant eventually
Down to probably his last resort, Curry just did what he does best: shooting from way out.
"After I fall, I got no option. I'm like I'm just gonna shoot it and live with it, and I shot it from probably 30 feet, and I made it, and then I act like nothing happened," he further said.
Despite getting the better of Kobe Bryant in that play, Steph Curry thought it was a lesson learned on dealing with pesky defenses.
"It's like the biggest 'keep your cool' kind of moment in your life because, you know, it's freaking Kobe. You're trying to be super chill about it, but I just, you know, drain one from 30 on it," Steph Curry added.
So what happened after the shot?
"Afterward, he picked me up and he gave me like the little-ass tap on the way back, and I couldn't even acknowledge that either. I kinda just like knocked him off and like act like I was playing on defense," Curry said.
He concluded, "I went right back in at halftime. I was like, I need that clip like bring me that back. I gotta save that on my phone."
It seemed fitting that Steph Curry was awarded the 2022 All-Star Game MVP award, which is now named the Kobe Bryant Award.