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Steph Curry should be used to getting compliments from other NBA players. The Golden State Warriors guard continues to enjoy a Hall of Fame-worthy career. When you’re so close to the mountain top, praise is usually easy to come by.
However, during a recent appearance on ‘Big Boy TV,’ Curry shared how a compliment he received from Kobe Bryant is still among the best he’s ever received. During the interview, Curry noted how Bryant had acknowledged a shared ‘killer instinct’ despite the fact the Warriors guard always plays with a smile on his face.
“Kobe Bryant was one of the best compliments I ever got,” Curry said. “When he recognized the killer instinct behind the smile. You know, Mamba Mentality is a thing because you can see it on his face like, ‘I’m out here to kill every single person in front of me, to get where I wanna go.’ He acknowledged that same spirit but knew that I did it with a smile on my face. And the joy that came with…I appreciated that compliment because it was coming from somebody who knew what that energy was like.”
“One of the best compliments I ever got, when [Kobe] recognized the killer instinct behind the smile. You know Mamba Mentality… He acknowledged that same spirit but knew that I did it with a smile on my face.”
Steph Curry on Kobe Bryant 💯
(via @BigBoy)pic.twitter.com/puwHT5JYnz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 24, 2023
Curry is 6’2” and battled ankle injuries throughout the first three seasons of his career. As such, the Warriors guard has to display his competitive nature and fighting instinct to overcome a difficult start to life in the NBA as a slightly undersized guard.
Nevertheless, Curry has emerged as a genuine superstar and will go down in history as arguably the Warriors’ greatest ever player – you don’t have a career like that without a healthy dose of the ‘Mamba Mentality.’