Stephen Curry learned a hard lesson when he attempted to break up a fight involving Roy Hibbert, and ended up getting tossed across the court. Despite being smaller in size than many of his opponents, Curry’s heart is second to none, as evidenced by his four championship victories. During a recent appearance on the ‘SmartLess’ podcast, Curry recounted the story of his run-in with Hibbert, which left him with a newfound appreciation for not getting involved in on-court altercations.

In 2013, I experienced a beatdown that still exists on YouTube. It happened in Indiana where my then-teammates David Lee, Roy Hibbert, and David West were playing. During the game, Lee and Hibbert confronted each other under the basket. Normally, when big players are up against each other like that, guards and smaller players back off to avoid getting hurt. But I wasn’t thinking straight, and I wanted to protect my teammate, so I rushed in. As they exchanged chest bumps, I went behind Hibbert, who was about 7 feet tall and weighed around 280-290 pounds, and tried to pull him away from Lee. Unfortunately, it was like swatting a fly for him, and he just used his left hand to throw me aside. I ended up in the corner of the court. Looking back, it was an embarrassing moment, and David West had to hold me back to avoid further injury.

The footage of Stephen Curry’s fearless attempt to break up a fight between Roy Hibbert and David West is often overlooked. When Hibbert kept pushing West, Curry tried to intervene but was shrugged off twice, almost falling to the ground without any assistance from Hibbert. A recent altercation between the Warriors and Timberwolves reminded fans of this 2013 incident, but Year 14 Curry now understands his role and lets his teammates protect him. The Warriors’ enforcer, Draymond Green, is currently suspended for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. Curry cannot afford to get ejected or T’d up now as the team relies heavily on his dominance on the court. Despite the reduced likelihood of fights in modern NBA, the Warriors remain ready to respond to any on-court disrespect they face.