Steph Curry is 37 years old and still playing like a superstar.
The longtime face of the Warriors is in the midst of his 17th NBA season. He is averaging 27.2 points per game while leading the league (again!) in three-pointers made and taken per game. Golden State has been shaky at times thanks to injuries hitting just about every part of the roster around Curry but the star shooter is maintaining his spot as one of the best players in the league. As such he was rewarded with another All-Star appearance this year; he was unable to participate due to injury but hung out on the sideline to watch the revamped Team USA vs. Team World format.
Appreciation for Curry is very high right now in part because he is close to the end of the road. He, LeBron James and Kevin Durant have completely bucked all previous expectations about how well stars can play into their late 30s. But no matter how dominant they all look this year it’s a simple fact that retirement is looming. Father Time isn’t coming for them just yet, but he will soon.
How soon, though? Well, for his part, Curry isn’t worrying too much about that.
In a new interview with People published on Monday the Golden State star said he isn’t putting “too much pressure” on the inevitable retirement decision. In fact, he thinks about it rather philosophically.
“It’ll declare itself, whenever the time comes to call it quits, which I don’t think is anytime soon,” Curry told People. “I’m not really putting too much pressure on that.”
The superstar guard went on to explain he believes putting any pressure on it would take away from his experiences in the now.
“Thinking about the end robs you of the now,” he said. “I’m enjoying the journey of competing and all the work that goes into it. Hopefully that carries me a long way.”
It’s hard to blame Curry for wanting to live in the present. It’s pretty good for him! He remains at the top of his game against all odds as a smaller guard in his 17th season. His team may not be championship favorites but they should play competitive postseason basketball. And when Curry does retire he’ll have done more than enough to be remembered as not just the greatest shooter ever but one of the best players to grace an NBA court. There’s no rush to leave all that behind, from the sounds of it.
Curry’s tremendous career will likely continue beyond this season. Fans will be happy to appreciate him all the while.
Putting Steph Curry’s career longevity into context
It’s one thing to read the idea that Curry is in his 17th year of NBA basketball. It’s another to really understand it. Seventeen freaking years is a very long time to play in the NBA. Not many players are capable of hanging around even close to that long, much less excel throughout.
Chris Paul’s retirement last week can help put Curry’s longevity into context. When CP3 called it quits, it marked the final retirement from the 2005 NBA draft class. It also shortened the list of active players who entered the league before 2010. Curry, a member of the ‘09 draft class, is one of those players.
With Paul done, Curry is now one of only 16 players who entered the NBA in the 2000s. James, obviously, is the oldest player as the No. 1 pick in the ‘03 draft. Kyle Lowry is not very far behind him as the lone representative remaining of the ‘06 draft class. Curry’s draft class was particularly successful, with the star trio of James Harden, Jrue Holiday and DeMar DeRozan still active and playing well alongside Curry all these years later.
Curry has outlasted most of his draftmates at this stage, which is impressive enough. But he’s played long enough to outlast many who came before and after, too. A remarkable career for the Warriors’ star and one that he isn’t ready to end yet.
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