Warriors star Steph Curry has taken down countless opponents over the course of his 14-year NBA career, but his biggest adversary doesn’t even wear a uniform.
The 35-year-old appears to be winning the race against Father Time as he enters his 15th season, all thanks to an unrivaled passion recently described by his teammate Draymond Green.
“I mean, I think he is one of the most special people to be around, and I think when you look at Steph, he’s nice, right? He smiles. He’s the golden child. He’s all of these things, baby-faced assassin, you name it,” Green told SiriusXM NBA Radio on Monday. “Underneath all of that is a never-dying passion that’s just burning, raging. And he works as hard as I’ve ever seen anybody work, whether that’s in the weight room, whether that’s on the basketball court, [or] in life. He’s always reading a book, you know? He works harder than anyone that I’ve seen work.
“And for him, you can just watch him — he’s trying to defeat age, and it’s evident to me every day. Every day, I come in and I watch him and I’m just like, ‘This dude continues to work harder and harder.’ Each year, he’s working harder and harder. This dude’s trying to defeat age. We all know Father Time is undefeated, and guess what he’s doing right now? He’s beating those odds right now.”
Green’s words have been echoed by Curry’s coaches, other teammates and even adversaries over the years, lauding the work he puts into his conditioning as part of a metronome-like routine. It’s an attitude stemming from his underrated status as an undersized basketball prospect rising through the ranks, and it’s why he went on to win four NBA championships and become known as the greatest shooter of all time.
And he isn’t done yet. Curry is signed through the 2025-26 NBA season after inking a four-year, $215 million contract extension in 2021, and the nine-time All-Star told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole in July that he wants to be a Warrior for life.
But how much longer will Curry’s NBA “life” last?
“It’s somewhere in [LeBron James’] range, but I never imagined myself being the 40-plus dude trying to hold on for dear life,” Curry told the “Gil’s Arena” podcast in August. “But who knows what my body will look like or feel like at that point? I got three years left on my deal, including at least that, and then kind of figure it out from there.
“I am blessed to know and hope that no matter how many years I do play, playing for one franchise and being a part of that group of the legends that have accomplished that feat and won at the highest level and all that. I don’t ever take that for granted either. … I don’t put too much of a timeline outside of my contract now just knowing that will give me 38 [years old] and 17 years in the league. I ain’t skipping out to go play golf just yet.”
With the way Curry works, there’s no telling how long he’ll be able to outrun Father Time. But Dub Nation certainly hopes the clock doesn’t catch up to him any time soon.