Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James are all players that dominated basketball during the 2010s. Each of them has won MVP awards, and they all have multiple championships.
Even though those 3 players were transcendent in their prime and are still superstar-caliber players, only one of those players is still in the playoffs. Stephen Curry managed to advance to the second round. Kevin Durant was eliminated in the first round, and LeBron James missed the playoffs entirely.
Stephen Curry has recently commented on LeBron James and Kevin Durant not being at this stage of the playoffs, claiming that the “NBA has grown”, and that it’s “part of the natural evolution of sports”. He did however say that we will see “those guys back”, as they aren’t simply going to “ride off into the sunset”.
Stephen Curry on LeBron James and Kevin Durant not being in this stage of the playoffs:
“You're still going to see those guys back, Bron, KD, all those guys you mentioned. It ain't like they're just going to ride off into the sunset either.” pic.twitter.com/yNSW2XR6Yt
— Mark Haynes (@markhaynesnba) April 30, 2022
It’s part of how the NBA has grown. The young core of guys coming in. You gotta understand that we were that team and those players at one point. The Tim Duncans the KGs and those guys that were trying to extend their primes and their careers for as long as they could when we were coming into our prime. It’s the natural evolution of sports. It’s a reminder of how difficult it is to win at the highest level…
Talent is at an all-time high across the board in the league. Seeing a little bit more parity now in terms of the teams that are making it to this stage in the playoffs… You’re still gonna see those guys back, Bron, KD, all those guys you mentioned. It ain’t like they’re just going to ride into the sunset either.
There is no doubt that there is a new era of stars that are coming into the NBA. Players like Ja Morant and Jayson Tatum have both managed to lead their teams into the 2nd round, and they look like they could be the future of the league.
Even if stars getting older and their teams performing worse is a natural part of sports, Stephen Curry and his squad will do their best to try and make it to the NBA Finals and win a championship. While they are an older squad, Stephen Curry has shown no signs of slowing down. There’s no doubt that another championship and potential Finals MVP would do a lot for his legacy, and we’ll see if Stephen Curry is able to lead his Warriors to another championship.
