A few weeks ago, Steph Curry signed a massive extension with the Golden State Warriors. Well, massive in terms of annual pay, at least. Curry added on one year (the maximum allowed under the CBA) to his current contract, at a cool $62.6 million. The contract will take him through the 2026-27 season ... which will be his 18th in the NBA.
Will there be a 19th?
There’s no doubt that, health permitting, Curry will be plenty good enough to not just play beyond his current contract, but play well — and be compensated handsomely. He’s coming off a season in which he was 11th in the NBA in points per game and first (by a mile) in threes made. He was an All-Star, a third-team All-NBA selection, and won the Clutch Player of the Year. He’s got a whole lot of basketball left to give.
But Curry has never struck anyone as the type who will hang onto his playing career for as long as possible. He’s comfortable with what he’s accomplished, and sure doesn’t need to stick around to try and add rings to his resume. He’s a devoted father of four young children, and is surely excited to spend more time with them. He has thriving businesses in player management and media, has flirted with trying to play golf professionally, and has said he wants to own a team someday. His focus might be 100% with the Warriors right now, but you get the sense that he’s got plenty of other endeavors that he’s excited to shift that focus to eventually.
And when his contract runs out? Well, he’ll be 39 years old.
It’s an impossible question to answer, and I’m sure he’d be the first to tell anyone that. How well will he be playing in three years? How much treatment will his body need before and after every game? What position are the Warriors in?
There are a lot of factors at play. We know the answers to some of them, we can guess the answers to others, and we’re clueless about some.
But I sure as hell hope the answer is yes. Because not only does that mean more time watching Curry, but it almost surely means he’s still playing well, and the Warriors are still competitive.
