The Golden State Warrior and Los Angeles Lakers faced off on Saturday night in a battle of perennial title contenders. Steph Curry was not active for the battle, so he was relegated to being a bystander. The three-time NBA champion used this opportunity to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant, who died two weeks ago in a helicopter crash.
Curry arrived at the arena on Saturday night wearing a No. 24 Lakers shirt. It didn’t matter that his team was facing off against LeBron James and Bryant’s former team; he was still honoring the memory of an all-time great. Various photos and videos showed him mingling with opposing players prior to the game and sharing embraces with the Lakers.
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“As a guy that loved the game growing up, watching him play inspired me,” Curry said during a fourth-quarter interview. “It was a dream come true to get into the league, to play against him. You know how much he meant to the NBA in general and pushing the game to new heights and pursuing greatness that we are all trying to follow in the footsteps.”
Steph repping a Kobe jersey ๐๐๐ pic.twitter.com/gnBn0LhCrX
โ Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 9, 2020
“Love the respect everyone has for Kobe,” one user wrote in response to the photos surfacing on Saturday night. Others talked about how it’s impossible to hate the Golden State Warriors star after such a heartwarming moment.
“I am a LAKERS fan, but I love Steph Curry, and this is awesome,” another user added to the conversation. They couldn’t help but smile through the tears after seeing one of the league’s biggest stars honoring the former member of a rival team.
Since entering the league as a first-round pick of the Golden State Warriors, Curry has made a name for himself as one of the league’s most impressive shooters. He is called the baby-faced assassin due to the ease with which he makes three-point shots, and he has helped bring three rings to the Bay Area.
Despite receiving criticism for paying tribute to Bryant during a game against the Lakers, Curry also received praise for this jersey. One fan explained that rivalries are one thing, but the Golden State Warriors star is showing that certain aspects of life are far more important than the game of basketball.
“Man [Stephen Curry] rockin a Kobe jersey while at home vs the Lakers is real love,” one user on Twitter wrote. “Shows 3 things: Curry is a good dude, Kobe runs through every player’s heart and it’s all more than basketball.”
Photo Credit: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
