Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry turned back the clock on April 1 to produce a vintage 52-point masterpiece in his team’s 134-125 win over the Grizzlies. The game marked Curry’s 15th career 50-point game and second 50-point game of the 2024-25 season following his 56-point outburst on February 27.
In light of Curry’s stellar run, Jay Williams gave the Warriors star a new nickname on the April 2 episode of “Get Up” on ESPN. Williams used inspiration from the late, great Kobe Bryant’s nickname of the “Black Mamba” while coining Curry’s new “Dark Steph” moniker.
“He’s no longer the underdog, babyface assassin,” Williams said of Curry. “He’s the villain now, and he’s embracing being the villain. The beautiful thing about this is he’s the petty king — I think this is the scariest we’ve seen Steph Curry be, level-wise, in the way he plays.
“He’s entering a similar phase to when Kobe was the Black Mamba. I think you’re entering a Dark Steph phase.”
Stephen Curry Embracing the Dark Side?
Williams then pointed to a moment in the Warriors’ win over the Grizzlies where Curry confronted Desmond Bane.
“Whether it’s the night-night [celebration] or the trash talking,” Williams said of Curry’s new darker persona. “If it’s with Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green, this is the next iteration of a Steph Curry that’s trying to win a chip in the next two years.”
It’s no secret that Curry, 37, is desperately trying to win his fifth NBA championship before entering the final few years of his prime.
Ahead of his 37th birthday on March 14, Curry said his only motivation to continue playing is to pursue another championship.
“Somebody asked me this summer, like, ‘What are you still playing for?’ That’s literally the only thing you’re playing for,” Curry told 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” podcast.
“I like where we’re at right now. I think we have what it takes to do it, but I’m not fast-forwarding to say we’re a championship team right now because we have another level to get to before we get to a playoff-type environment,” Curry continued. “I’m excited about that challenge. All I wanted to be was in the fight. All I wanted was a chance.”
Kobe Was A Huge Admirer of Curry
It’s rather fitting that Williams cited Bryant as an inspiration for Curry’s late-career heroics. Shortly before his tragic death in 2020, Bryant spoke glowingly about Curry’s killer instinct and will to win at the highest level.
In July 2023, Curry recounted a meeting with Bryant in which the latter essentially endorsed Curry as a killer and signed off on his “Babyface Assassin” moniker. For Curry, it was the ultimate compliment from the player who was renowned for his killer mentality.
“He said that the joy that I play with and the smile that I have, you get deceived by the killer instinct that I have underneath and the competitive spirit that I have,” Curry told “Hot Ones” of his conversation with Bryant.
“For someone to validate you like that — especially he’s not giving out compliments like that — that was truly special.”
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