Stephen Curry, who wore Warriors throwback jerseys on his way into Oracle Arena for the past several games, made a curious choice for Sunday’s regular-season finale: Monta Ellis.

Yep, the same Monta Ellis who once declared he couldn’t play in the same backcourt with Curry.

But there was Curry, strolling into Oracle wearing the familiar, blue No. 8 jersey. Then, after he scored 27 points in Golden State’s 131-104 victory over the Clippers, Curry offered a detailed explanation of his fashion statement.

“Monta was part of a lot of history, with the ‘We Believe’ era,” Curry said. “When I got here my rookie year, he was that guy. For me, in terms of representing him in the last game meant a lot because we were in that backcourt together. And obviously when he was traded, it was a tough time in terms of the transition of the organization and things like that.

“I wanted to honor him and his story, coming out of high school and doing what he was able to do. He was a fan (favorite) and a beloved guy. So it’s only right to have him on the last night.”

Ellis, before the start of Curry’s rookie season in 2009, said the two guards couldn’t co-exist in the same backcourt. Then they did exactly that for two-plus seasons, until the Warriors traded Ellis to Milwaukee in March 2012, in the deal that brought Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to Oakland.

Ellis expressed his appreciation for Curry’s gesture Sunday, via Instagram:

Ron Kroichick is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ronkroichick