Novak Djokovic autographed a racquet for the Golden State star, while Curry gave the world No. 1 a signed jersey.
The Golden State Warriors have been a popular rooting interest for two of the Big 3 during the BNP Paribas Open: After Roger Federer paid a visit to, and practiced with, the Warriors at home last weekend, Novak Djokovic was spotted courtside in Los Angeles on Saturday as he watched Steph Curry’s team defeat LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers on the road, 128-121.
Djokovic was one of the more than 18,000 fans who packed a sold-out Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to watch Curry and James go head-to-head—and Curry already had a night to remember on the hardwood, as he dropped 31 points to lead his team past James (who scored 40) and his teammates, before he and Djokovic met at center court for an even more memorable exchange.
The pair hugged it out at center court, before each man signed a piece of gear for the other—Djokovic, a racquet, and Curry, one of his jerseys—before swapping the mementos and posing for photos.
“That’s awesome,” Djokovic was heard saying as Curry handed his jersey off to him.
Novak Djokovic and Curry aren’t strangers to each other, as the pair famously first met seven years ago, also in L.A., when a then-injured Djokovic watched the Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers.
But the Serb likely won’t get any further chances to watch an NBA game in the States this year, as the world No. 1 withdrew from next week’s Miami Open this week, confirming previous on Saturday that he is “balancing my private and professional schedule” at this stage of his career. In Indian Wells, Djokovic suffered a shock third-round loss to 20-year-old Italian Luca Nardi, his first-ever defeat against a lucky loser at an ATP Masters 1000 event.
“I’m sorry that I won’t experience some of the best and most passionate fans in the world,” the 36-year-old wrote, while adding he was looking forward to playing in Miami in the future.
