Stephen Curry has long said he wanted to play at least 16 NBA seasons, equalling his father, Dell. This season he walks into training camp ready for his 11th NBA season. So, he’s got about six more to go, right?
That’s what he said as a panelist at TechCrunch Disrupt on Wednesday, talking about his investments in startups and plans post basketball. Via Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area:“Being in the NBA, this is a very short period of my life -- from 21 so hopefully I can play for like another six years. And then you think about what you want to do the rest of your life. And we’re hopefully setting up the groundwork and the framework for success in this space and doing it our way.
“Really enjoying the ride and I’ve been fortunate to have a great team behind me that’s on this journey with me.”
Curry, age 31, has three seasons left on the supermax contract he signed in Golden State. No doubt he plays that out. It’s interesting to speculate about what would be next — where are the Warriors at, do they pay Curry to stay, or does he finish his career somewhere like Charlotte (where his father played and where Stephen grew up) — but we’re a long way from that.
Curry remains one of the game’s elite players and stars (he’s a top MVP candidate again this season, with circumstances putting the ball back in his hands more). The Warriors need him to help fill the Chase Center in San Francisco, and someday he likely has a statue in front of the place. But projecting where he will be in a few years is impossible.
Curry just knows when his playing days are over, whenever that is, he’s got a plan. And plenty of money.