Stephen Curry says 'end is near' for career

NBA great Stephen Curry said he is appreciating his 16th season, knowing he is closing in on the end of his record-setting career.

"It's OK to accept and acknowledge that the end is near," Curry said in a clip of an interview posted to the NBA on ESPN's account on X. "But only because it allows you to enjoy what's happening right now. But I think the more you talk about it and the more you acknowledge it, the more it levels up the sense of urgency in the moment, now."

.@malika_andrews with Stephen Curry on his 16-year NBA career and how much longer he wants to play professional basketball. pic.twitter.com/s8SDWSHCwm

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 24, 2024

Curry, 36, has led the Golden State Warriors to four NBA titles. He's a two-time league Most Valuable Player, a 10-time All-Star and the all-time leader in 3-point shots made with 3,841.

And despite being limited to two points in a blowout loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last week -- he was 0-for-7 shooting -- Curry remains a highly productive NBA player.

This season, he's averaging 21.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. And while his scoring output is down from 29.4 points per game in 2022-23 and 26.4 last season, he's exceeding his career averages in rebounds (4.7) and assists (6.4).

He's playing 31.0 minutes per game, down almost four minutes from two seasons ago. And he's shooting 36.3 percent from 3-point range, well off his career average of 39.7 percent, but his numbers from 2-point territory are well above his lifetime output (.571 this season vs. .517 career).

Curry is 21 games shy of 1,000 played in the regular season, plus he's played 147 more in the playoffs. And he'd certainly like at least one more postseason run.

The Warriors meet the Los Angeles Lakers in a California Christmas showdown on Wednesday, standing in eighth place in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Lakers.

Curry didn't hit at when he might retire, hinting only that he thinks about retirement "more than I probably have before."

He is under contract with Golden State through the 2026-27 season after signing a one-year. $62.59 million contract extension on Aug. 29.

--Field Level Media