Kobe Sanders learned only moments before tip-off that he would be in the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Clippers against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. With James Harden ruled out late due to shoulder stiffness, the responsibility of slowing down Curry fell to Sanders and fellow guard Kris Dunn.
What followed was the best start of Sanders’ young NBA career.
The 23-year-old rookie delivered a career-high 20 points, along with seven defensive rebounds, in 36 minutes as the Los Angeles Clippers secured a narrow 103-102 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Though it was not his first start of the season, it quickly became his most memorable.
“I knew nothing about him,” said Snoop Dogg during a postgame interview with Clippers star Kawhi Leonard on the Peacock streaming service. By the end of the night, Sanders had clearly introduced himself to a much wider audience.
Selected in the second round of last year’s NBA Draft by the New York Knicks and later traded to the Clippers, Sanders’ path to the league has been unconventional. He spent four years at Cal Poly, where he scored more than 1,000 career points, before transferring to Nevada. There, he earned All-Mountain West honors while using an extra year of eligibility granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Although I’m a rook, I’ve played a lot of basketball in my life,” Sanders said. “Just playing basketball for such a long time, you pick up IQ, you pick up just little things here and there.”
Despite sharing a name with late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, Sanders said his name has a different origin. His parents named him after Kobe Japanese Steak House near Palm Springs, their favorite getaway.
Knowing Harden was out, Sanders expected extended minutes and felt free to play aggressively. “They instill a lot of confidence in me, telling me to be aggressive, telling me to keep going,” he said.
Leonard echoed that sentiment. “I always tell him to keep being aggressive in the game,” Leonard said. “That’s your time to get better right there.”
Curry finished with 27 points but fouled out late for the first time since 2021, a moment Sanders admitted brought “a little bit of relief.”
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue praised Sanders’ composure despite the team committing 20 turnovers. “His poise, his ability to understand what we’re doing defensively and offensively, and just getting more and more confident,” Lue said, stood out.
Though the Clippers hold a 13-22 record amid persistent injuries, they are 7-3 in their last 10 games. For Sanders, the opportunity was the real victory.
“The NBA is consistency and opportunity,” he said. “I was blessed with the opportunity and I’m just trying to stay consistent.”
