I watched the San Francisco Forty Niners play the New York Giants. These days, I reside on the East Coast where die hard Warrior fans are hard to come by much like made shots were for Harrison Barnes in the 2016 NBA Finals.

I watched with a die-hard New York sports fan. In an instant, the conversation went to basketball. Right before my eyes, I saw my childhood attempts at discrediting the five-time NBA champion, Kobe Bryant.

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For Bay Area natives in the 2000s, you either ride and died with the Warriors or liked the Lakers. I would walk into basketball camp and see a sea of purple and gold. I could not play schoolyard basketball without hearing, “Kobe!”

It would be outlandish to say “x” Warrior team would have won a championship if Kobe was not in the way. The Warriors sucked - so much so there is a Twitter account dedicated toward the organization’s darkest days.

The frustration as a kid came from a number of things - the inability for my favorite team to be successful, the number of terrible draft picks, and the frequency of terrible front office decisions.

There is a reason why they call him the Black Mamba. Before there was a king, reaper, or baby-faced assassin, there was Kobe. The underbite, the 81, the standing on the scorer’s table - Kobe was a larger than life figure that propelled the league throughout the 2000s. You know how the modern day Warriors can trail 42 minutes in a game and still win? Kobe did that first.

There will never be another Kobe Bryant. There will also never be another Stephen Curry.

Fast forward to 2018. The Warriors, having won 3 out of the last four championship, are on track to do what the 2000-2002 Lakers did with Kobe and Shaq. Stephen Curry is a two-time league MVP, three-time champion, and walking piece of history.

Given all of his achievements, people still try to discredit Curry. “Steve Kerr elevated his production,” “Chris Paul is still the better point guard,” “He chokes come playoffs,” “Steph is nothing without his shot,” “He would have never gotten multiple rings without KD’s help,” “Good thing the Warriors have Klay because Steph can’t defend,” the list goes on. It will continue to grow until Steph’s farewell tour. He won’t have to chase it like Paul Pierce.

My quip backs were similar growing up, “Kobe needed Shaq,” “(when Shaq went to the Miami Heat) No more rings for Kobe,” “He’s not a top ten player of all-time though,” “Pau should’ve got that Finals MVP their second championship together,” “Remind me, how many assists did Kobe have the time he dropped 81?”

0 - The same amount Klay had when he broke his fellow Splash Brother’s single game three point record.

For me, a lifelong, “I don’t care how much we are down I’m staying till the fourth quarter is done” Warrior fan, Kobe’s legacy could not be appreciated until he retired. And for every “the Warriors ruined basketball” critic it will be the same. The simple truth is that biased fans of players cannot have an honest debate about the GOATs.

(I hope) critics of the two, Bryant and Curry, can agree they are prolific. Kobe may be the most prolific scorer of all time and it is no question that Curry is the most prolific shooter of all time. Being at the forefront of these conversations already puts them at the table.

Maybe the case can be made by four words: “Kobe/Curry was my Jordan.” Think about the great teams as well as current and future Hall of Famers the two faced along their ascension:

For Bryant: The Kings in the “Kobe and Shaq” era, the super team Celtics (twice), Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns, prime Dirk Nowitzki, and the best power forward to ever play, Tim Duncan. 

For Curry: The 2015-16 Oklahoma City Thunder, last year’s Houston Rockets, and Lebron James four times.

Though Curry’s hit list may not be as grand as Bryant’s the kid from Davidson College revived a once terminally ill franchise. He created his own ocean of gold and blue at basketball camps, he put Under Armour in the basketball shoe conversation, he ushered in a new wave of how the game is being played. The shimmy, the parabola floaters, the fast break threes, the mouth guard, the chest bump and point to the sky, the counting of 1, 2, 3, 4 after his four point plays.  

Their resumes speaks for themselves. Imagine if the two were asked, “How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations? Please site an example.”

Well…

Ask Kobe the same question…

Need more proof - ask yourself how many times you’ve rooted against Bryant and Curry. I bet you still remember the feeling of being pierced in the heart after every turnaround J or 40 foot bomb. Can you see Kobe running with his fist pumped? Can you hear Mike Breen screaming “BANG!”? You do, because these all-time greats, all time deal sealers, and cold blooded killers reside in the soul’s of every one of their haters.

The recent absence of Curry has been tumultuous to say the least. There was the scuffle between Durant and Green.  An “it felt way more than four” game losing streak, four game KD “WTF” stretch capped with a potential preview to the NBA finals, and we are back to your regularly scheduled programming. Former NBA players are forecasting another Curry MVP season upon his return. But what may prove to be more exciting throughout the rest of the season is this narrative playing out. Given all the media attention in these past three weeks, the re-introduction of Curry into the lineup, and imminent “I’m here, I’m back” form - can naysayers finally give the man credit?  

We all know he’s made Oakland his home.

We all know he’s a great guy,

But can fans of other teams finally appreciate the man’s lasting legacy on the sport? Look around, see how many kids are wearing #30 on their back.  Next time you’re hustling back on defense or filling in the lane at your local gym’s pick-up game check out the dude’s kicks next to you - you see Under Armour? That’s because of Steph Curry. Your man probably also pulled up from three. That’s because of Steph too. If all else fails - rewatch the four game skid, heck even rewatch the offensive sequence in the short-lived win streak. And compare that to what you’ll see on Saturday.