"Unbelievable role model" - Steph Curry gives late Kobe Bryant his flowers for pioneering efforts to elevate women's basketball

Basketball great Kobe Bryant passed away five years ago in a helicopter crash, but his legacy in the sport will forever remain etched. Current NBA star Steph Curry recently highlighted one of his contributions to the sport.

Curry hailed Kobe for his contributions to uplifting women’s basketball in the years after his retirement, before his death in 2020. The Golden State Warriors star cited Kobe’s hands-on guidance with his late daughter Gigi Bryant’s then-emerging basketball career, and how that impacted a generation of women’s basketball players.

“He was the first one I saw consistently and to the masses promoting it," Curry said in an interview by 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," he added.

Before his death, Bryant showed up multiple times in WNBA games, watching the women’s game evolve into a thriving sport people love today. He even held private workouts with WNBA players to help the next generation of women’s basketball stars hone their skills.

Bryant’s daughter, Gigi, was also in the midst of carving her path as a women’s basketball player, only for it to be cut short by their untimely death.

Kobe retired from the sport in 2016. He spent most of his retirement giving back to the sport he loved, while also being a supportive father to all his children and his wife Vanessa.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver reflects on Kobe’s impact five years after his death

Kobe Bryant’s impact can still be seen and felt. NBA commissioner Adam Silver looked back to the 20 years Kobe played in the NBA and his efforts to grow the WNBA as the basketball world remembers him on his fifth death anniversary.

“Kobe Bryant continues to serve as an inspiration to aspiring and current NBA and WNBA players, young athletes playing at all levels and those who are motivated solely by his relentless pursuit of excellence,” Silver said in a statement.

“Our thoughts today are with Vanessa and the Bryant family as we remember Kobe and their daughter, Gianna, with whom he shared a special bond around a profound love of the game of basketball,” he added.

Kobe’s influence was built through an amazing career in the NBA, during which he won five championships. He finished his career with a 60-point game against the Utah Jazz in 2016.

His death shocked the world, triggering a worldwide mourning for fans all over the globe.