The NBA has come a long way since the days of players chain-smoking between games and cramming themselves into commercial airplanes. Sports science has and advancements in nutrition have allowed players to play, and play at a high level, longer than ever before.
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Take Steph Curry, for instance. In the past, short guards tended not to age well in their 30s, but at 37 years old, Steph is still going strong. He’s about to enter his 17th NBA season, and as his Second Team All-NBA selection last year proves, he’s still one of the very best players in the league.
Steph appeared on The Today Show this morning, and he spoke about what he wants his impact to be on the game of basketball.
“I think this is the most skilled era of basketball.”
– Steph Curry on today’s NBA
(via @TODAYshow / h/t @ClutchPoints )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 10, 2025
“You want to leave the league in a better place than when you found it,” Steph said. “And I think just the way that you see the skill level right now … from 1 through 5 and all the way down the roster, I think this is the most skilled era of basketball history.”
Steph claimed that it were young kids who are now growing up watching his generation of basketball players and getting inspired by his style. So it is very important to him and he doesn’t take any of it for granted.
Steph understands and appreciates the impact he’s had on so many young players, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to say mission accomplished and let them have their fun without him.
“Being able to extend your prime, I’m going into year 17 and really have this belief that I can be at the top of my game again and win at the highest level, so I’m just trying to squeeze the most out of it ’til it’s all over,” he said.
Steph has quite literally changed the game with his ability to stretch the floor and shoot it from outside, but he’s not the only player from his generation who is still thriving. LeBron James is 40, and like Steph, he made Second Team All-NBA this past season. He’s also about to set an NBA record by embarking on his 23rd year.
Chris Paul is 40 too, and he signed with the Clippers this summer for what might be his final ride. Kevin Durant is 36, and after he was traded to the Rockets in July, they became one of the favorites to challenge the defending champion Thunder for the 2025-26 title.
The work these guys have put in to remain great and push past what we thought is possible is incredible. Even more than the amazing things they’ve been able to do on the floor, that will be their true legacy. Steph won a title in 2015, then won two more with KD. When people counted him out, he secured his fourth ring in 2022. With a full season of Jimmy Butler, he and the Warriors will be in the mix again this coming year.
Basketball fans need to appreciate what they’re seeing, because it wasn’t always like this. We’re living through a golden era of skill and longevity, and Steph is one of the players at the forefront.
