Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry praised the lasting legacy of Kobe Bryant in the world of women’s basketball years after the death of the Los Angeles Lakers legend.
“He was the first one I saw consistently and to the masses promoting it,” Curry said to The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II. “Not just (his daughter) Gigi’s team, but girls’ basketball in general. He spent his time reaching out—obviously his relationship with Sabrina (Ionescu), showing up at games, what he did at the academy and opening up facilities for them. He was an unbelievable role model in terms of putting his name and stamp on women’s basketball as something to invest in.”
Bryant became a bigger and bigger supporter of women’s basketball following his retirement after the 2015-16 season. His impact was such that the WNBA began handing out an advocacy award named in his and daughter Gianna’s honor in 2022.
Beyond showing up to WNBA games and spreading the gospel, he directly and indirectly influenced a number of the league’s top stars.
The Phoenix Suns’ Diana Taurasi and Seattle Storm’s Jewell Loyd carry the “White Mamba” and “Gold Mamba” monikers, a nod to Bryant’s Kill Bill-inspired nickname. Weeks before his death in January 2020, Bryant held a private workout with select WNBA players to emulate something he had done with the next generation of NBA stars.
“Kobe’s legacy is way more than basketball,” Loyd said to Thompson. “It’s a lifestyle. He impacted the minds of so many. The hearts of so many. He knew that basketball could be a vessel but the knowledge he had could be passed down forever.”
