Warriors' Steph Curry: Praise from Giannis is 'not going to soften me at all'

Speaking with reporters during media day on Sunday, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said Golden State Warriors two-time MVP Steph Curry was the best player in the world. 

While Antetokounmpo's comment was genuine, his reasoning behind picking Curry relied heavily upon the fact that the Warriors enter 2022-2023 as the defending NBA Champions. 

When the quote found its way to Curry later in the day, the four-time NBA Champion responded to the praise cautiously. 

"I don't know if it was gamesmanship," Curry said. "I would've said the same thing about the champions. I said the same thing about him last year.

"I appreciate the compliment. It's not going to soften me at all."

The two-time scoring champion had another outstanding season last year for the Warriors. Curry averaged 25.5 points, 6.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals, earning his eighth-career All-Star nod. 

In the playoffs, Curry helped lead the Warriors to the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Boston Celtics in six games. 

Curry averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists against the Celtics, earning Finals MVP honors.