Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, gets a hand on the ball next to Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, in Los Angeles. The Warriors won 127-123 in overtime. AP/Ringo H.W. Chiu
Highly touted Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball finally squared off against Stephen Curry and the defending champion Golden State Warriors, but came up on the losing end on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), 127-123.
READ: Curry comes through in OT, Warriors outlast Lakers
Prior to tip-off, Curry, a two-time NBA MVP, shared his thoughts on this year’s second overall pick to ESPN’s Chris Haynes.
“He’s a rookie. He’s going through the ups and downs like every rookie has, whether you’re highly touted or not,” he said.
“It’s all a learning experience, trying to find your way and be comfortable. Basically, my perception is he’s working through that. I’ve always said he’s a great talent, I think he loves to play basketball, so he’ll be able to fight through that and have a great career.”
Before achieving his status as a top player in this league, Curry also struggled with inconsistency during his early years, mostly due to injuries.
“I hope you didn’t judge me off my first 20 games in the league, either,” he added.
Moreover, Curry shared that he could “sort of relate” to Ball’s situation right now, particularly with the hype and high expectations from outlandish remarks made by his father, LaVar.
“Early in my sophomore and junior years in high school, there was a little extra pressure because of who my dad was,” he said, describing retired NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry.
“And I felt like everybody was kind of critiquing my every move on the court, and I was already not getting recruited or anything. I was always playing to be recognized by coaches,” he added.
He also had some words of advice for the young rookie moving forward.
“But at the end of the day, I taught myself how to have a sense of humor about it and understand that it kind of comes with the territory of choosing the same sport that my pops played, and dealing with it that way. [Lonzo] can’t let what people say bother him. Use it as motivation.” Khristian Ibarrola /ra