Steph’s fifth Warriors title ‘only thing’ he’s still playing for originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Warriors superstar Steph Curry has his priorities straight.
Two days shy of his 37th birthday on Friday, the future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer understands the clock is ticking on his illustrious NBA career, leaving Curry yearning for one more accolade before he decides to hang up his No. 30 jersey.
Curry revealed the only thing he is pursuing to 95.7 The Game’s Matt Steinmetz and Daryle Johnson on Wednesday.
“Somebody asked me this summer, ‘What are you still playing for?’ That [a fifth championship] is literally the only thing you’re playing for,” Curry said.
Four NBA championships aren’t enough for the greatest shooter in league history. Curry wants one more. And could you blame him?
Curry has done it all. Besides earning a quartet of titles, he has won two NBA MVPs and an Olympic gold medal, made 11 All-Star games, 10 All-NBA teams and is a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
So, why not go for ring No. 5? After all, Golden State has been one of – if not the – best teams in basketball since trading for Jimmy Butler, and Curry’s confidence in his new-look team only is growing.
“And when you feel far away from it [a championship] because you’re not rewarded consistently with wins on a nightly basis or there are growing pains with the team, it does kind of knock at your confidence and your ability to imagine what it’s like to be a relevant contender,” Curry told Steinmetz and Johnson. “I like where we’re at right now.
“I think we have what it takes to do it. But I’m not fast-forwarding to saying, ‘Oh, we’re a championship team right now,’ because we have another level to get to before we get to a playoff-type environment. And I’m excited about that challenge.”
The Warriors have won 12 of their first 13 games when Butler has been available. It must be concerning for other teams to hear Curry say the Warriors have another level to reach.
A motivated Curry, as opponents have known all too well over the years, is as good a player as any and brings Golden State to its peak.
And, well, Curry wants that fifth ring – badly.
“All I wanted to be was in the fight,” Curry told Steinmetz and Johnson. “All I wanted was a chance. All I wanted was an ability to look across the Western Conference and say, ‘Yeah, we can go toe-to-toe with whoever,’ and I feel like we’re knocking on that door.”
What Curry wants, he usually gets. Don’t be surprised if he ends the season as a five-time champion.
