We're coming up on being a full year removed from the tragic death of NBA icon Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, and it's still hard to fathom that the five-time champion is no longer with us.
Steph Curry recalled his first preseason game going up against Kobe after Warriors practice on Sunday, and discussed the first moment the two were matched up against each other.
"One of my first preseason games down at the Forum my rookie year, we played against him, and I got switched onto him in an ISO situation, I'm scrawny, 170-pound rookie coming in, and the look he gave me was so damn disrespectful -- it was crazy," Curry quipped. "That was kind of my welcome to the league moment, and from there, to the shot in preseason probably three or four years later, he gave me a little pat on the a-- after I hit him with a 30-footer.
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"But he's definitely inspiring in terms of his legacy."
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The Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 110-91 in that preseason game from Curry's rookie season at the Forum, with Bryant scoring 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
Golden State Warriors
Curry also talked about growing up watching Bryant dominate with the Lakers, and said he and his brother, Seth, would try to emulate Kobe's iconic alley-oop pass to Shaquille O'Neal in the 2000 Western Conference finals.
"He was our generation's Jordan in terms of iconic moves, ISO stuff, fadeaways, game-winners, something about his name even just rolls off the tongue nice when you're counting down three, two, one you yell 'Kobe!' when you knock it down," Curry added.
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Any basketball fan who grew up watching Kobe has to have at least one memory of yelling "Kobe!" when trying to throw anything at a target, and Curry is no different.
Although we are almost 365 days from that sad day in Southern California, Kobe's legacy and impact on the NBA won't soon be forgotten.