According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Stephen Curry has finalized a two-year extension worth $116 million with the Golden State Warriors. This agreement ensures that the two-time league MVP and future Hall of Fame inductee remains with the franchise that selected him in the draft through his twentieth year in the NBA.
Although the franchise validated the extension on Friday, they refrained from sharing specific terms. Reports from Charania indicate that the contract features a player option for the 2028-29 campaign.
Under the “over-38 rule” established in the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players’ association, Curry was limited to a maximum extension of two seasons. By adding two seasons at 35% of the estimated salary cap—the peak wage tier available to veterans with at least ten years of experience—to the previous one-year, $62.6 million extension finalized in 2024, the total value of his active deal rises to $178.6 million through the conclusion of the 2028-29 season. (Combined with his fresh 10-year, $400 million partnership with Li-Ning, it has proven to be an incredibly profitable offseason for the superstar.)
This extension will carry Curry into his 20th year in a Warriors uniform. Throughout league history, a mere 12 athletes have logged 20 or more seasons, and only three of them—Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, and Udonis Haslem—remained loyal to a single franchise for their entire careers.
Over almost twenty years in the Bay Area, Curry has single-handedly revitalized the Warriors, lifting a legendary franchise once led by Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry back to regular championship contention after the struggles of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Naturally, he did not achieve this alone; he received invaluable support from coaches like Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr, his fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson, defensive anchor Draymond Green, the versatile Andre Iguodala, and elite scorer Kevin Durant, among various others.
Nevertheless, it is Curry who, more than anyone else, reshaped the identity of the franchise and elevated its ambitions. Along the way, he transformed the landscape of modern basketball by altering offensive spacing and forcing opposing defenses to completely rewrite their game plans. This shift was driven by his unmatched combination of shooting range, quick release, volume, and precision from beyond the arc, whether he was firing off the dribble or weaving through off-ball screens to set up a quick catch-and-shoot.
The unique talents that propelled Curry to stardom at Davidson and made him the seventh overall selection in the 2009 draft—immediately following Minnesota’s selection of point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn, to the disappointment of local fans, and just ahead of New York’s eighth pick, to the frustration of Knicks fans—made an instant impact. Over his initial two years in the league, he averaged 18 points on highly efficient 47/44/91 shooting percentages alongside 5.9 assists per contest.
However, recurring issues with his right ankle forced him to miss 40 games during his third season and required corrective surgery. These durability concerns left the front office hesitant to commit a massive sum, resulting in a modest four-year, $44 million extension of his rookie deal.
“My ankle health played a major role in the final figures,” Curry explained to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports back then. “They needed to mitigate their risk.”
That cautious contract would ultimately become one of the most impactful and value-heavy deals in the history of the league.
Following surgery to clear scar tissue from his ankle and embarking on a comprehensive training regimen to bolster his core, hip, and lower-body stability, Curry evolved into an incredibly durable and dominant star. He has maintained an average of at least 20 points per game for 14 consecutive seasons, a feat surpassed by only six players in NBA history: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan.
His resume places him in elite company: he is one of 44 players to secure at least four titles, one of 29 with 12 or more All-Star appearances, one of 22 with at least 11 All-NBA designations, one of 19 to capture multiple scoring crowns, and one of 16 with multiple regular-season MVP awards. Furthermore, he is one of only six players to boast four championships, multiple MVPs, and a Finals MVP. Curry also stands alone as the sole unanimous MVP in NBA history. Out of the ten times a player has made 300 or more three-pointers in a single season, Curry is responsible for six, including the sport’s only 400-triple year.
Even though the veteran guard continues to play at an All-NBA level in his late 30s, the Warriors have receded from their championship peak since winning the 2022 title, capturing only two postseason series over the last four seasons. During the previous year, hampered by health issues affecting both Curry and prominent player Jimmy Butler, Golden State ended the season below .500 for only the second time since the 2011 lockout.
Following an ambitious but unsuccessful attempt to acquire LeBron James, the franchise appears caught in limbo—carrying an older roster with a lack of rising young stars, leaving them projected to remain on the fringes of the Western Conference play-in tournament.
This challenging outlook sparked speculation about whether Curry would look to play elsewhere in pursuit of a fifth championship ring during the twilight of his career. However, the Warriors’ front office remained optimistic about his commitment, and Curry—approaching the situation with a practical understanding of the team’s limits—reportedly wished to stay loyal to the only NBA home he has ever had.
This contract extension puts an end to any such speculation. No matter what direction the Warriors choose to take or how they construct their future, their identity will continue to center around Curry for years to come, keeping the status quo intact.
