From taking the Davidson Wildcats to the Elite Eight to winning four NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors and becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history, Steph Curry has spent his entire career defying the odds. Now, in his own words, he is nearing the end of what was an epic career. But some in the industry feel Curry still has a long fight left in him. Chandler Parsons, who played for the Rockets in his career, thinks Curry is capable of playing 4 to 5 more years. If his word is to be believed, the baby-faced assassin will stay in the league until he turns 40.
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Curry’s longtime rival LeBron James turned 40 two weeks ago. Though he’s not quite the player he was earlier in his career, LeBron is still making a big impact for a Lakers team that currently sits sixth in the Western Conference with a 20-16 record.
Like LeBron, Curry’s continued high level of play has defied the aging curve as NBA fans have come to know it. Unlike his Olympic teammate though, Curry’s much smaller frame could theoretically make it even more difficult for him to be effective in his later years. Parsons on the Run It Back podcast spoke of his expectations for Curry. He said:
“Look, the way he shoots the ball, he could play forever. He doesn’t need to play 30 minutes, he doesn’t need to come flying off screens. But yeah, he can transform into that walk-up point guard that you can’t leave alone. You put him on a team with a dominant two or three guys where he can just sit in the corner and make threes all day long, he can do that for yeah, another five, six, seven years.”
Curry’s Warriors have fallen off after a hot start and are now 19-19 and tied for 10th, though it’s hard to fault him for that. Despite Steve Kerr’s insistence on keeping the 36-year-old’s minutes in check, he’s still just as efficient as ever.
Chandler did point out that Curry’s family life and the exorbitant amount of money he’s made during his career could keep him from hanging on for the sake of hanging on, and he also brought up the idea that Curry could one day transition to a role in the Warriors front office.
The history of older point guards isn’t good, but Steph Curry isn’t just any point guard
Thanks to an increase in awareness about fitness and nutrition, athletes these days are playing longer than ever before across all sports. Curry famously overcame bad ankles at the beginning of his career by putting in the work to strengthen them. It’s fair to assume that if he wanted to continue playing into his 40s, he’d make sure he was in good enough shape to handle it.
Parsons makes a good point about Curry still being able to provide value as a spot-up three-point shooter well into his twilight years, but there’s no indication that he’s anywhere close to that point yet.
ESPN published a fantastic story a week ago about how Steve Kerr has grappled with the dissonance of needing Curry more than ever but not wanting to overexert him. In that article, it was made clear just how much Curry still does every time he steps onto the court.
As he has for his entire career, Curry’s been much more than just a long-range sniper. He’s averaging 22.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists while shooting over 50 percent from two-point range for the 12th year in a row, and he once again leads the league in free throw percentage with a ridiculous 93.2 percent.
The only thing that could keep Curry from being a high-level player five years from now is if he decides that playing is no longer worth it after a career of nearly unmatched accomplishments. Curry’s place in basketball history is already assured, but if he does decide to keep playing, it would be foolish to bet against him.
