Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was such an important figure for so many of the greatest basketball players the NBA has ever seen. It seems like everyone has a story of some sort of interaction with Kobe, or him inspiring them in some way, shape or form. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is no different.
Curry is without a doubt one of the greatest players in basketball history and unquestionably the greatest shooter this sport has ever seen. But back when he first came into the league, there were a lot of questions about whether he could hold up physically. And his first meeting with Bryant made him realize some changes needed to be made.
In an interview with Matthew Roberson of GQ, Curry recalled trying to defend Kobe as a rookie and the Lakers star completely controlling his movement with one hand, causing Steph to realize that he needed to get stronger:
“Kobe Bryant, for sure. My rookie year, we were playing a pre-season game against the Lakers at the Forum. I didn’t play in the first quarter. I came in in the second quarter and I got switched over to him. He was posting me up, calling for the ball, and he usually had this trick where he’d hold whatever side he was on. This particular time, he held his left hand up calling for the ball, and with his right hand he literally grabbed my knee and wouldn’t let me try to get around to deny the ball.
“I literally couldn’t move. He just had me. With one hand, he controlled all 175 pounds of me. It was a very humbling experience knowing I was trying everything I could to get out of that death lock and had no chance. He caught the ball, one shoulder into my chest, and all the air came out. Little left shoulder fadeaway and he made it. That was my, ‘All right, I probably should think about gaining some weight.’”
At that point of his career, Kobe had mastered so many tricks and Curry just had no clue what to do against them, as did many when facing off with the Lakers legend. But this did motivate Curry to add some strength, which made him basically impossible to stop as he was then able to attack the paint and handle contact better overall.
Curry is now a legend in his own right and surely would have figured some things out at some point as the greats always do. But all it took was one meeting with Bryant, who is always looking to test his opponents, to bring about a realization for Curry that changed everything for his career.
LeBron James discusses evolution of relationship with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant
The relationship between Kobe Bryant and current Lakers superstar LeBron James was also one that didn’t get much attention, but LeBron recently opened up about how it evolved over the years.
James noted that the two didn’t really have much of a relationship until they teamed up on Team USA for the Olympics in 2008 and 2012, but even then it was more competitive than anything else. However, after Kobe retired and LeBron joined the Lakers, things blossomed between the two.
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