Atlanta Hawks guard Lou Williams recently recalled when Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant found the key to shutting down Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.
Williams explained Bryant’s method during an episode of the “Knuckleheads” podcast.
“We was playing Golden State,” Williams said. “And this was when Steph was starting to catch fire. He was starting to turn into ‘The Chef.’ You know what I’m saying? And he came in and he said, ‘I f—— found it.’ He just kept saying, ‘I f—– found it.’ … He like, ‘He don’t like people standing on the side of him. He can shoot with you in front of him. He can shoot with you behind him. But on his side, he don’t like that. I’mma guard him the second half.’ Shut him down again. So, after that, I was a believer. … After that, I’m like, ‘Everything that I’ve heard about Kobe Bryant is all true.’”
Bryant was an elite defender during his NBA career. He was named to 12 All-Defensive teams in his storied career.
Curry is arguably the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA, but Bryant made a point of trying to find his weakness to shut him down.
During his playing career, Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from beyond the arc. He will forever be one of the most important figures in Lakers history, as he led the team to tremendous success during his career.
Williams, like many of Bryant’s former teammates, clearly realizes how special of a player the Lakers legend was during his career. It’s great to see that so many of Bryant’s former teammates are still adding to his legacy by sharing amazing stories from his time with the Lakers.
