Stephen Curry has committed to staying with the Golden State Warriors by signing a two-year, $116 million contract extension, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania. This deal will keep the two-time NBA MVP and future Hall of Famer with the team that drafted him through his 20th season in the league. The Warriors confirmed the extension on Friday, though without disclosing specific terms. According to Charania, the contract includes a player option for the 2028-29 season.
Due to the NBA’s “over-38 rule” within the collective bargaining agreement, Curry can add up to two additional years to his current deal. These extra seasons, paid at 35% of the projected salary cap—the maximum allowed for players with at least 10 years of service—will follow the one-year, $62.6 million extension he signed in 2024. This means Curry’s contract now totals $178.6 million through 2029. Combined with his new 10-year, $400 million endorsement deal with Li-Ning, it’s been an extremely profitable summer for the star guard.
If he completes the full term of this contract, it will mark Curry’s 20th season as a Warrior—a rare milestone achieved by only 12 players in NBA history. Even more exclusive is the company he joins as one of just three athletes, alongside Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, and Udonis Haslem, to spend their entire two-decade career with a single franchise.
Over nearly 20 years in the Bay Area, Curry has played a pivotal role in reviving the Warriors, restoring the storied franchise to prominence following decades of relative obscurity through the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s. While he has had valuable contributions from coaches like Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr and teammates including Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Kevin Durant, Curry himself has been the driving force. His impact reshaped not just Golden State’s identity but also the entire game of basketball, thanks to his revolutionary three-point shooting—marked by unmatched accuracy, volume, speed, and range—whether pulling up off the dribble or navigating off-ball screens to find open shots.
Curry’s journey began at Davidson, where his college play made him a standout prospect. Selected seventh overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, he immediately delivered, averaging 18 points per game with impressive shooting splits and 5.9 assists in his first two seasons. However, recurring right ankle injuries and surgery during his third year raised concerns about his durability, resulting in a cautious four-year, $44 million contract extension at that time.
Reflecting on that period, Curry later revealed that his ankle issues were a significant factor in the extension’s size, as the Warriors wanted to protect their investment. But what seemed like a gamble turned into one of the most significant bargains in NBA history. After addressing his physical vulnerabilities through surgery and comprehensive conditioning, Curry transformed into one of the league’s most durable and prolific players. He has scored 20 or more points per game in 14 consecutive seasons—a feat matched by only a handful of NBA legends.
Curry is among an elite group in NBA lore, boasting four championships, at least 12 All-Star selections, more than 11 All-NBA nods, multiple scoring titles, two MVP awards including a unanimous MVP season, and a Finals MVP trophy. He has set records for three-pointers made, including the only season with over 400 treys. Despite entering his late 30s, Curry continues to perform at an All-Star and All-NBA level.
However, since the Warriors’ 2022 championship, the team’s dominance has waned, with just two playoff series wins in the last four years. Last season saw sub-.500 results, partly due to injuries to Curry and Jimmy Butler. After an unsuccessful attempt to land LeBron James, Golden State now faces an uncertain future, reliant on aging veterans and lacking notable young talent, likely stuck in the Western Conference’s play-in bubble.
These challenges prompted speculation that Curry might seek a new team in pursuit of a fifth title late in his career. Yet, Warriors’ leadership expressed confidence he would remain, and Curry himself has reportedly accepted the current state of the franchise, choosing loyalty to the only organization he’s ever played for.
This extension confirms those intentions. No matter what lies ahead for the Warriors, they will continue to build around Curry for the foreseeable future—just as they always have.
Fan Take: This extension is monumental for basketball fans because it ensures one of the greatest players in history remains the cornerstone of the Warriors, preserving the legacy he helped build. Curry’s continued presence not only impacts Golden State’s fortunes but also sustains the revolutionary style of play that has reshaped basketball globally.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
