Stephen Curry was one of the key reasons that Team LeBron came away with a 170-150 win over Team Durant in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game. The Golden State Warriors star scored 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting (and made half of his 16 3-point attempts) while also dishing out four assists and securing four rebounds.
Following his strong performance, Curry was asked what he has left to accomplish and he believes that there's "a lot to accomplish" in a career that has already spanned 12 seasons.
"I have a lot to accomplish. I don't have anything to prove. There's a little subtle difference there," Curry told reporters after the All-Star Game. "What drives me is just having fun. I truly love to play basketball. I'm just appreciative and grateful that it's at the highest level, and I get to kind of still pursue a higher level of excellence on the court. As we all know, our careers have a finite window, and you never know when the basketball gods, if you will, will tell you to hang them up, so as long as I feel healthy and strong and keep doing what I'm doing, the joy naturally comes out."
Even if Curry's career ended after the 2020-21 season, the former first-round pick has already accomplished a ton during his 12 seasons with the Warriors. Curry, who many have labeled the greatest shooter in NBA history, has already helped lead Golden State to three NBA titles, won two MVP awards, participated in seven All-Star Games, and has been a league scoring champion.
The script hasn't exactly been what many thought it would be this season. After all, the backcourt tandem of Klay Thompson and Curry were expected to return after a tough 2019-20 season in which the Warriors won 15 games in a pandemic-shortened campaign.
However, Thompson suffered a torn Achilles in November and will miss the entire 2020-21 season. Thompson hasn't played since he suffered a torn ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, so Curry has done a lot of heavy lifting this season.
While Curry may not have the stellar supporting cast that he did a few seasons ago when the Warriors were making Finals runs, he still is having a remarkable season. The sharpshooting guard has put together averages of 29.7 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 41.1 percent from three. Golden State may only have a 19-18 record through the first half of the season, but this is a team that is very much in the playoff race.
Despite not having anything to "prove," Curry is still competing at the highest level and will continue to be a force down the stretch this season.
