The 37-year-old Stephen Curry is less than a month away from turning 38. Most average players would consider that the twilight end of your athletic career, especially in basketball. But not for the Warriors’ superstar.
Curry recently sat down with People Magazine and reflected on why he doesn’t even think about retirement and has no plans to do so anytime soon.
“It’ll declare itself whenever the time comes to call it quits, which I don’t think is anytime soon; I’m not really putting too much pressure on that,” said the Warriors star.
“Thinking about the end robs you of the now. I’m enjoying the journey of competing and all the work that goes into it. Hopefully that carries me a long way.”
“It is a badge of honor to now be the oldest player doing all of these great things,” the four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP, and Olympic gold medalist says. “To redefine what greatness looks like at this age.”
“Every time you do something cool, it’s like, ‘Oh, you’re the oldest to do such and such’ or ‘You’re the oldest point guard to fill in the blank.’ So I wear all of those things like a badge of honor, because I know how much work goes into it, to play this game that I love,” concluded Curry.
The average age of retirement in the NBA is 28 years old. While most stars retire between 33 and 35 years of age, as their bodies begin to not be at the same competitive level as the younger generation. But that is not the case for Stephen Curry, who is entering an elite category of longevity in the 17th season of his career.
“It used to be that whenever I was in a jersey, they would call me Stephen, and when I wasn’t in a jersey, I was daddy,” said Curry while talking about sharing his career journey with his family.
“They ask a lot more questions. They know your schedule: ‘How many games is it?’ or ‘Who are you playing?'” Curry says about his family’s increasing interest in his career over time. “I love being able to share that part of my life with them.”
He’s the seventh-oldest active player in the league right now, and no one as old as him is playing at the level at which he is. The 37-year-old Warriors star is currently averaging 27.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 46.8% from the floor and 39.1% from beyond the arc.
Most players also want to spend time with their family, and hence tend to end up retiring earlier. But Curry is enjoying and cherishing the part of his journey that he gets to share with his family.
