Several NBA players were excited to see one of their own enter the boxing ring Saturday night. Three-time Slam Dunk Contest champion Nate Robinson went up against YouTube star Jake Paul — seriously, it was a thing that happened — but unfortunately for the basketball community, Paul ended the bout rather quickly.
Robinson hit the canvas hard in Round 2 after Paul dropped him with a vicious overhand right. Paul's knockout punch electrified Twitter and provided plenty of meme fuel for the masses.
JAKE PAUL KO'S NATE ROBINSON!! JESUS CHRIST. NATE IS OUT COLD! pic.twitter.com/QzFUMI6LgC
— . (@FTBBurner11) November 29, 2020
MORE: NBA stars react to Robinson getting knocked out
Two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry couldn't resist joining in on the fun. Curry had tweeted out his support for Robinson before the event, and Robinson told Curry that he was going to "shock the world." That opened the door for this incredible post-fight response.
I see no lies
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) November 29, 2020
In an interview with "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah, Curry, who has played both with and against Robinson during his career, explained that the online back-and-forth with Robinson was simply good-natured ribbing.
"I know one thing about Nate is, one, he can dish out the trash talk and he can take it," Curry said. "I know based on how the whole match went, the whole event went — it wasn't supposed to be that entertaining, but it was — but for Nate, he is the most resilient dude in the world. If there's one person that I know that's going to find that comeback type of situation — I don't know if he's gonna be back in the ring — but whatever he's gonna do, he's gonna be amazing. I'm betting on Nate.
"We can have as much fun on Twitter and throw jabs, no pun intended, but we can always know Nate's gonna be in good shape."
Curry also noted that Robinson wasn't alone in going viral over the weekend for all the wrong reasons. Curry admitted that losing to Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley in The Match 3 "hurt," and he wanted to find a way to redeem himself.
"When you cross over sports, I think we all have this irrational confidence, and I love that about just athletes in general," Curry said. "I did that in golf. I was over there embarrassing myself in front of Phil Mickelson for four hours on national TV. I kind of know that experience."
Still, Curry didn't go so far as to say his loss was worse than Robinson's.
"I didn't get physically harmed," Curry said. "We know that."
You can watch Curry's full interview with Noah below.
