Stephen Curry could play ‘well into his 40s’ before NBA retirement, father Dell Curry says

Stephen Curry has goals when he eventually retires from the NBA, and has said he wants to dip his toes into the team ownership realm. How far off in the distance might that be? The 37-year-old guard does not have much left to accomplish in an already legendary career with the Golden State Warriors that dates back to 2009. He has not displayed much regression, though, so he could still have plenty of basketball ahead of him.

Curry’s father, Dell Curry, addressed his longevity and indicated that the NBA may not see the last of the 3-point shooting ace for quite some time. 

“I think it’ll be his decision when to walk away,” Dell Curry said to PFSN. “A lot of guys play until the teams or the league tell you, ‘We can’t use your services anymore.’ I think he could be well into his 40s because he can shoot the ball and requires that you have to guard him. That’ll create space for other players on the floor, so I think that decision will be totally up to him.”

As a four-time league champion and two-time NBA MVP, Curry flourished as one of the faces of the sport over the last decade and a half. Curry spent the entirety of his future Hall of Fame career with the Golden State Warriors, with whom he set numerous game, season and career records. He is the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader and changed the game with his long-range acumen.

Curry made it clear that he aims to retire with the team that drafted him, so long as the Warriors remain competitive in his final years.

“He still has those competitive juices — those are far from leaving him,” Dell Curry said. “He has the game, the will, so it’s up to him. Obviously, he’s 37, so we’re not talking six or eight years, but he has many, several years left at this ability to play in the league.”

Anything beyond next season is a mystery as Curry enters the final year of his contract with the Warriors. He signed a one-year extension and is set to earn $62.6 million in his next campaign before he enters unrestricted free agency. Of course, he could elect to ink another extension to avoid hitting the open market.

“For me, it was when I couldn’t put the effort in during the offseason to prepare myself for that next year. I think that’ll be the case with him as well,” said Dell Curry. “I think that’ll be the calling card — when he can’t work out and prepare himself for the next season.”

Curry averaged 24.5 points during the 2024-25 season, which marked his lowest scoring output over a full year since the 2013-14 campaign. His 3-point shooting also dipped below 40% for just the second time in his career. Still, he led the Warriors to a 48-34 record and a trip to the Western Conference semifinals.