Stephen Curry sent Drazen Petrovic's mother one of his NBA Finals jerseys

Basketball stars often like to pay tribute to their favorite players in small or major ways. It can take the form of a public shoutout, a more formal tribute, or even just a plain old meet-and-greet. It's how generations of athletes communicate and pass down legacies through the years.

[Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]

Based on that context, it might seem like Stephen Curry decided to send one of his NBA Finals jerseys to the mother of late New Jersey Nets star Drazen Petrovic because he has always admired the dynamic Croatian scorer. However, it appears that Curry went through with the gesture because Biserka Petrovic was very nice to him one time in 1992 (via EOB):

You've perhaps seen a photo of Curry at that 1992 3-Point Shootout, where Dell Curry put up 11 points in the first round before bowing out and Petrovic made it to the semifinals:

While you can't tell in this particular image, that's Drazen to the left of Richmond. This image shows a clearer look.

Petrovic tragically died in a car crash in Denkendorf, Germany roughly 16 months later. The Drazen Petrovic Memorial Center, where Curry sent his jersey, was opened in June 2006. The museum houses memorabilia from Petrovic's life and career, and Curry's jersey will presumably be added to its open collection.

In all, it's a pretty cool gesture from Curry and a nice gift to maintain Petrovic's legacy. Even if it has as much to do with his mother's kindness as the player's immense gifts on the court.

- - - - - - -

Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @FreemanEric