“Those Guys Are Stone-Cold Killers”: When Kobe Bryant Lauded Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson

Kobe Bryant never stopped trying to improve his game. He always wanted to be the best he could be. That is how he describes Mamba Mentality to be. During his tour to Philipinnes in 2016, Bryant said, “To sum up what Mamba Mentality is, it means to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself. That is what the Mentality is,” he added. “It’s a constant quest to try to better today than you were yesterday.”

During an interview in 2016, ESPN’s Cari Champion asked Kobe, “Who do you think has the Kobe instinct?”

Kobe replied, “There’s several of them, I think, out there right now that approach the game extremely, extremely seriously. Klay and Steph seem very calm and nice guys, those guys are stone-cold killers.” 

High praise for Splash Brothers from Kobe Bryant

“They don’t care about what you think of them. They don’t care about if they make a game-winning shot or if they miss it. They’re out there to do their job and they have a very strong sense of the killer instinct.”

Being praised by one of the greatest players of all time is an honor. And it is an honor that they deserve. Two of the greatest shooters in the history of basketball, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have changed the way the game is played now. Looking at them play, young players across the globe have now become obsessed with shooting the 3pt.

Even bigs who never shot the three-ball have evolved their game. Centers like Brook Lopez, who was an awful shooter, transformed his game and earned the nickname, ‘Splash Mountain’. Spacing the floor is now a high-demand attribute for big men in the league.

After having a terrible season this year, the Warriors will look to bounce back in the 2020-21 season. They missed Klay the whole season and Steph featured barely as well. They will be back 100% healthy next season and will also have a lottery pick rookie alongside them. With Curry, Thompson, Green, and an improving Wiggins, they will look like a team to be feared.