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Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Recognized 'Mamba Mentality' in This Future Hall-of-Famer

The NBA's greatest shooter received the greatest of compliments.

Matt Wagner

Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Recognized 'Mamba Mentality' in This Future Hall-of-Famer
Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Recognized 'Mamba Mentality' in This Future Hall-of-Famer /
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It'd take too much time to try to list all of Kobe Bryant's accomplishments, but I'm going to try to at least summarize his accolades right here.

Bryant won five NBA championships, established himself as one of the greatest players in NBA history, and became one of the most beloved Lakers in the franchise's storied existence.

He patented his signature turnaround fadeaway, was an absolutely dogged defender, and the Black Mamba used his killer instinct to dominate opponents during his 20-year career.

That killer instinct, where one systematically takes the will from their opposition, became known as the "Mamba Mentality" during Bryant's career, and it's a trait that his fellow NBA bretheren tried to emulate, with him as the model.

Well, Golden State Warriors sharpshooter and future Hall of Famer Stephen Curry earned Bryant's respect, and the player who's lead so many tried to follow noticed the Mamba Mentality in the three-point artist, a distinction that he let Curry know about.

Curry has revolutionized the NBA since he came into the league in 2009, utilizing the three ball the way no one before him ever had.

The guard led the way as he engineered a complete turnaround of the Warriors franchise, and four NBA titles, two MVP awards, and 3,390 three-pointers later, the marksman is atop the NBA's all-time three-point list and his legacy as a legend has long been cemented.

Curry's done essentially everything that one can do at the highest level of basketball. He's played a huge part in one of the NBA's greatest dynasties and has earned the title of being the league's greatest shooter along the way.

And along with all of that, the NBA's greatest shooter earned the greatest compliment from one of the best players the league has ever seen.

That was never easy to do, but Curry most certainly deserved that.

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Matt Wagner
MATT WAGNER

Matt Wagner was born and raised in southern California, and he lived there before moving to Colorado and getting his B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2022. He relocated back to southern California in 2023 and is looking forward to covering the teams that mean so much to his home area. Some of his past work is in Bleacher Report, Dodgers Tailgate, and, most recently, Colorado Buffaloes Wire. Aside from writing, you can probably catch him petting the nearest dog or eating some good Mexican food.

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