Steph stresses importance of extension, staying ‘Warrior for life’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Plenty has changed over the past few seasons for the Warriors and franchise legend Steph Curry.
Longtime Splash Brother Klay Thompson is with the Dallas Mavericks, former general manager Bob Myers no longer is with the organization and Curry now enters his 16th NBA campaign.
But Curry’s goals have remained the same, as evidenced by signing a one-year contract extension this offseason that will keep him with Golden State through the 2026-27 NBA season.
The four-time NBA champion has maintained his desire to remain with the team for his entire career; his extension further cements Curry’s future in the Bay Area. During Warriors Media Day on Monday, Curry explained why that deal was important for him.
“No secret … it always has been and still is a goal of mine to be a Warrior for life, to stay competitive throughout that process,” Curry told reporters. “I know it’s kind of unheard of, the short list of guys that have been in that position.”
Curry’s early extension has deeper value than simply securing his own legacy, though. He’s intentional about the more practical effects of the deal, which he hopes will prevent any needless speculation.
“Honestly, the ability to kind of let that be known with the decision to extend and not let that be a distraction or be a talking point all year long,” Curry continued, “no matter what really happens throughout this season, throughout next season, the third year after that, all of my energy is spent on preparing myself to play at a very high level, to do my part and be part of this team to win, and everything else will reveal itself as time goes on. That’s kind of the way I want to approach it.”
Golden State didn’t have the flashy offseason that many hoped for after Thompson’s departure and months of rumors around potential trades. But that doesn’t appear to have deterred Curry’s belief that he and the Warriors can succeed in the near future.
“I’m very confident in the fact that being here and being a relevant winning team is possible,” Curry concluded. “Until I’m proven otherwise, that’s the way I’m moving forward.”
Based on that last comment, the next steps for Golden State seems obvious: Prove its franchise cornerstone to be correct.
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