Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has plenty of incredible memories with Kobe Bryant. However, the one thing he'll never forget is when the late Los Angeles Lakers great gave his stamp of approval on his “Baby-Face Assassin” nickname.

Curry has always gotten the respect of Bryant, but the ultimate validating moment for him was when the Lakers icon acknowledged his “killer instinct.”

“He's like the joy that I play with, the smile that I have, you get deceived by just the killer instinct that I had underneath and the competitive spirit that I had. For somebody to validate you like that, especially because he’s not giving out compliments like that so that was truly special for sure,” Curry said while talking about his fondest memories of Kobe during an appearance on the Hot Ones with Sean Evans.

The moment Stephen Curry was talking about was when Kobe Bryant sat down for an interview with Michael Wilbon back in 2015. At the time, the Lakers superstar had massive praises for the  Warriors sharpshooter.

According to Kobe, he sees very well how deadly Curry is beyond the “calmness” he shows on his face–which makes the “Baby Faced Assassin” title fit him perfectly. Curry may not look like it, but if his defenders give him the chance, he'll punish them mercilessly with his epic long-range shooting.

“I see a calmness about him. I think it's something that a lot of players don't understand. But there's a serious calmness about him which is extremely deadly. Because he's not up, he's not down. He's not contemplating what just happened before or worrying about what's to come next. He's just there,” Bryant said of Curry back then.

Bryant certainly saw through Curry right in their first meeting, and it's just amazing to see how much respect he had for the Warriors star.

Stephen Curry's top Kobe Bryant memories

Aside from Kobe Bryant's validation of his “killer instinct,” Curry also reminisced two memorable games in which the Lakers legend recognized his greatness.

The first one was from his rookie year when the Warriors played the Lakers. It was something that Curry didn't know happened until after the game, with the 35-year-old vet sharing how Kobe complimented him for an incredible pump fake.

“It was my rookie year and we were playing the Lakers at home. I come down the court, do a pump fake and hit a leaner off the glass. As we're coming down the court, the camera locks in on him and he leans to the guy next to him on his team and says, ‘Yo, he's nice,'” Curry shared on the Hot Ones, via Sporting News.

“That's the dopest thing in the world. Kobe is validating my game when he's seeing me play for real for the first time. That's just freakin' amazing.”

The second one was during a preseason game between their respective teams. Knowing how dangerous Curry can be, Bryant hounded the Dubs marksman. However, Steph didn't back down, and while it was tough, he was able to win that specific duel with Kobe.

“The second time, we're playing in a preseason game and he's doing that Mamba Mentality thing where he's picking me up full court in a preseason game in the first quarter,” Curry shared. “… He's doing defensive slides, staying in front of me. I'm like, ‘What is happening right now? This is freakin' Kobe Bryant.'

“So he stays with me for like four or five slides and then he bumps me and I kind of fall off balance. I'm actually gassed at this point. I'm tired, trying to get into shape in a preseason game and he's just going all out on the defensive pressure and he's way bigger and way stronger than me, bumping me and doing all that.

Curry added: “So after I fall, I got no option, I'm just gonna shoot it and live with it. I shot it from probably 30 feet and I made it, and then I acted like nothing happened. It was the biggest ‘keep your cool' moment in your life because it's freakin' Kobe, you're trying to be super chill about it when I just drained one from 30 on him after he picked me up (full court).”

Kobe Bryant has always been a class act, and considering how competitive he was, he's never one to underestimate his opponents even though they look like a kid or has a gentle face like Curry. And clearly, that respect he showed to the Warriors superstar really stuck on Curry.