As Steph Curry reaches the tail end of his storied NBA career, there’s one question on the world’s mind: When will the Warriors superstar officially hang up his basketball shoes for good?
Don’t panic, Dub Nation — it’s not on the horizon.
“It’ll declare itself, whenever the time comes to call it quits, which I don’t think is anytime soon,” Curry told PEOPLE this week. “I’m not really putting too much pressure on that.”
Curry, 37, currently is in his 17th NBA season and has spent his entire career with Golden State. He, along with other NBA stars of his generation like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, to name a few, are faced with the retirement question at every turn this late in their professional basketball lives.
All are the picture of NBA longevity, and Curry doesn’t take that responsibility lightly.
“It is a badge of honor to now be the oldest player doing all of these great things,” Curry told PEOPLE. “To redefine what greatness looks like at this age.”
But rather than thinking about the end, Curry stays focused on the present. Despite all he has accomplished, including two NBA MVP awards, four championships, 12 All-Star selections and countless other accolades, the legendary point guard believes he still can achieve even more.
“Thinking about the end robs you of the now,” Curry told PEOPLE. “I’m enjoying the journey of competing and all the work that goes into it. Hopefully that carries me a long way.”
Curry became the oldest point guard in NBA history to be selected as an All-Star Game starter this season, though he was sidelined for Sunday’s exhibition at Intuit Dome as he deals with a knee injury. While such ailments could serve as a reminder of his age, Curry views every step — positive or negative — as a blessing and sign he’s still able to take the court at a time when many already would have called it quits.
“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,’ ” Curry told PEOPLE. “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.”
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