In a chat with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Warriors star Stephen Curry opened up on the end of his basketball career. While Steph admitted that it’s been a weird experience for him, he’s learned to embrace it as a part of the process.
Malika Andrews: “How much thought do you put into how much longer you want to play?”
Stephen Curry: “More than I probably have before. It’s okay to accept and acknowledge that the end is near at whatever point, but only because it allows you to enjoy what’s happening right now. But I think that the more you talk about it, the more you acknowledge it, the more it levels up the sense of urgency in the moment.”
Curry, 36, is one of the NBA’s longest-active superstars. After getting drafted 7th overall in 2009, he rose to stardom in the 2013-14 season when he averaged 24.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game on 42.4% shooting from three. In 15 years with the Golden State Warriors, Curry is a 10x All-Star, 2x MVP, 4x champion, and 2x scoring leader.
This season, while Curry is still playing elite basketball (21.8 points and 6.6 assists per game this season), he’s been thinking more and more about retirement as he approaches his 40s. With three years remaining on his contract, Steph is likely to keep playing until at least 2027, when he’ll be 39 years old.
After that, Steph’s future is entirely uncertain. If he’s still healthy and contributing on the court, he may opt to sign for one or two more years, especially if the Warriors are in a position to win the title. If the Warriors aren’t competitive at all, Steph may just decide to hang it up right then and there.
Either way, as the greatest shooter in NBA history, Stephen Curry’s legacy is already set and he has nothing more to prove in the NBA. It’s only his nature and sheer willpower that drives him to compete with the highest effort and you can bet that no matter when Curry retires, he’ll be giving it his all until the very end.
This season, at 16-13, the Warriors are once again facing an uphill climb to the top but with Curry, Draymond Green, and Jonathan Kuminga, they have the talent and experience to go to-to-to with any lineup in the league.
At this point, it’s up to Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. to find a fitting trade for the team but time is not on his side. As Curry adds more mileage with every game, the clock is ticking and pressure is building for them to make a move to maximize what’s left of their championship core.
Steph, regardless of how it pans out, is making it a point to appreciate these moments and live each game like it were his last. And after such a historic and accomplished career, he has earned the right to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Whatever happens going forward, we will have to wait and see. For now, the Warriors’ only goal is on their next game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day (8:00 PM EST). After that battle at Chase Center, Curry will take his team to Los Angeles, for a matchup against Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and the Clippers at 10:00 PM EST (at Intiuit Dome). On December 28th, the Warriors complete the second end of a back-to-back against the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center at 8:30 PM EST.
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