Stephen Curry remembers the first game he played against Kobe Bryant

Stephen Curry shared his first memory of playing against the fallen NBA legend, Kobe Bryant.

Since the passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash that claimed his life, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, there has been an outpour of emotion across the league.

Teams have been honoring the fallen champion by taking eight and 24-second violations at the start of games. Beyond that, pregame ceremonies have been held, along with players changing their jersey numbers away from No. 8 and No. 24 in respects to Bryant.

For the Golden State Warriors, players have shared their reactions to the loss of Bryant on social media, with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell all posting tributes to the “Mamba.” Warriors swingman, Alec Burks, swapped out of his No. 8 jersey to No. 20 to honor Bryant’s legacy.

Against the Boston Celtics, Curry spoke publicly for the first time since Bryant’s death. The Golden State Warriors two-time Most Valuable Player spoke to TNT reporter, Allie LaForce, about his first memory of playing against Bryant.

I remember the first game back at the forum in the preseason my rookie year like how amazing of a moment that was — you’re sitting there asking questions to yourself, ‘why does he mean so much?’ — he has a presence that I think we all just understood how much basketball meant to him, and he pushed the game to new heights, and we are all the better for it.

The preseason game Curry references took place on October 9, 2009, in the Los Angeles Forum. Golden State won the preseason exhibition, 110-91.

The Warriors will have the chance to honor Bryant on their home floor against his former team when they return to San Francisco to host the Los Angeles Lakers on February 8.