Steph Curry may be 37 years old and entering his 17th NBA season, but he’s not ready to hang it up just yet.
The Warriors legend reflected on the reality of nearing the end of a historic career and the challenges that come with pushing through year after year.
“I just want to be in a position where I’ve put myself in a position where I can say, ‘I’ve done everything I can to get everything out of this game,’” Curry said in an interview with Complex. “I’m not anywhere close to that, though.”
Still, he’s aware that time is ticking.
“I do know I’m kind of taking it in two-year chunks. You have to give yourself some motivation to go after,” he said. “I’ve talked to all the guys that have been in this situation where they’ve extended their prime. There are more ungraceful endings than there are (graceful ones).”
Curry is coming off another elite season, averaging 24.5 points, six assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals while shooting just under 40 percent from deep. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the second straight year, becoming the oldest guard ever to do so in back-to-back seasons.
But as the accolades continue to stack up, so does the wear and tear. Curry admitted the grind doesn’t come during the games, it’s the recovery that wears him down.
“The offseasons for me are the hardest,” he said. “Once you get into the 82 games, it’s repetition, it’s ‘you know what you need to do’…. The games are the most fun. If you get hurt in the middle of the season when you’re walking off the court and know something’s wrong with you, that’s the worst feeling in the world. All you’re thinking about is the rehab process.”
Curry later added, “Rehab is scary, and you don’t want to do it. So if I can get through offseasons, I feel like that’s the marker as to how long I can push it.”
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