At the age of 34, most NBA professionals are just starting to wind down their careers. However, the numbers would suggest that Stephen Curry is simply getting better and better, and at this rate, he is likely to complete a $215 million contract with the Golden State Warriors that will take him through to 2026.
NBA: Going for Glory
Priced at +1100 in the preseason NBA odds, it should come as no surprise that the Warriors have reached the Finals. In addition, Curry is currently priced at odds of +800 to be crowned the regular season MVP. From the odds alone, it’s clear that the sportsbooks and pundits were expecting a big year from the guard.
Evidently, they were not to be disappointed. Curry ranked inside the top-10 in the NBA for points scored and eleventh for turnovers, and once again acted as a focal point for a Warriors team blessed with solid all-court campaigners. Curry had proven during the 2020-21 season that, for him at least, age is just a number. He led the way in the scoring charts and would become the oldest player since Michael Jordan to outpoint the rest from such a vintage.
For years to come.
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 6, 2021
More on @StephenCurry30‘s contract extension » https://t.co/jWwG1yKZuq pic.twitter.com/vPQeAfDqma
Sealing the Deal
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Warriors’ general manager Bob Myers handed Curry a five-year deal in 2021, with the $215 million agreement ensuring that the player will be 37 when it has run its course.
He will be paid on an ascending scale, with $48 million set to be banked in 2022-23 followed by $51.9 million the season after that, $55.7 million in 2024-25, and a handsome $59.6 million in the final year of the deal. The signs are that the All-Star MVP will earn every single cent of it…
Three is No Longer the Magic Number
The 34-year-old is no stranger to breaking records, of course. Curry had gone 233 consecutive games of scoring at least a single three-pointer – a record stretching back to November 2018, and one that will, perhaps, never be beaten.
Incredibly, he also holds the next best record for three-pointers thrown – 196, which was strung together between 2014 and 2016. Unfortunately for him, Curry’s current streak came to an end in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, although the bigger picture is that the Warriors won 109-104 on the night and opened up a 3-2 lead in their quest for a fourth championship in just eight years.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry finished the game 0-9 from three-point range, his 3rd-most attempts without a make in any game in his career. Curry went 233 straight games with a 3-pointer, including reg. season and playoffs. @ESPNStatsInfo
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) June 14, 2022
Has it dented his confidence? Not at all. Curry told reporters that he plans to ‘keep shooting’ despite his rare night off against the Boston Celtics. “I’m not afraid to go 0-for-whatever, because I’m going to keep shooting and taking shots that you normally feel like you can make,” he said. “And I’ve responded well when I’ve had games like that from the 3-point line.”
It’s that bullishness that has marked Curry out as one of the most consistent performers in contemporary NBA history and confirms that he will throw plenty more threes from downtown in a Warriors jersey in the years to come.
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