Steph Curry explains decision to honor Monta Ellis before Oracle finale

Share

Steph Curry made a lot of Warriors fans smile Sunday before he had even stepped on the court at Oracle Arena. 

Curry has been honoring past Warriors greats by wearing their jerseys to games, and he honored a player who is near and dear to Warriors fans' hearts Sunday: former teammate Monta Ellis. 

Curry and Ellis played together for two and a half seasons before Ellis was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks midway through the 2011-12 season. The two guards had some history, with Ellis saying he "can't play with" Curry when the Warriors drafted the sharpshooting guard with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

After the Warriors thumped the Los Angeles Clippers in the regular-season finale at Oracle Arena, Curry explained why he chose this game to honor his former backcourt mate.

"Obviously, a lot of history that Monta was able to be a part of with the 'We Believe' Warriors era, and when I got here my rookie year, he was that guy," Curry told reporters after the game. "And I think for me, in terms of representing him on the last game, it meant a lot because we were in that backcourt together. 

"When he was traded it was a tough time in terms of the transition of the organization and things like that. I wanted to pay, obviously, honor to him in terms of his story, coming out of high school and doing what he was able to do. He was an Oakland fan, Warrior fan. Beloved guy. So it was only right to have him as the last night of the regular season."

Well said, Steph.

Ellis, for his part, showed Curry love on Instagram for choosing to honor him Sunday.

[RELATED: Warriors rock "We Believe" throwback jerseys in Oracle finale]

With the regular season at Oracle wrapped up, expect the Warriors to turn their attention to ending their Oakland tenure with the perfect exclamation point: a third straight title.

Contact Us