STATELINE, Nev. – LeBron James as a member of the Lakers is wearing his third different jersey. Kevin Durant is wearing his fifth jersey, fourth if you consider the SuperSonics/Thunder as one. Chris Paul is three months away from donning a Warriors jersey, which will be his sixth.
Future Hall of Famers, legends of the game, all undergoing numerous team identities.
And then there is Stephen Curry, alone among his contemporaries, steering his career along the straight path of Old School Road: 14 seasons, one jersey, one team, one franchise.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
If Curry has his way, he will stay on route for his entire NBA career. His response last week to the possibility indicates he recognizes the virtue.
"It'd be special,” Curry said before winning the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe. “I'm already going into Year 15. So, it's hard to see any other scenario.”
Hard? Try impossible.
For Curry is that rare NBA player who neither has nor needs a no-trade clause in his contract. As the catalyst for all that the Warriors have become – which exceeds the wildest imaginations – he is a civic treasure and global phenomenon that is above trade discussion. Won’t happen. Ever. Golden State CEO Joe Lacob is too wise to allow a transaction sure to incur the fiery wrath of Dub Nation and be denounced around the league. He has made it clear he wants Steph to retire with the same franchise that drafted him in 2009.
Golden State Warriors
Yet it matters more to Curry than perhaps anyone else. To know Steph is to understand his loyalty and comfort with stability. His parents, Dell and Sonya, were a couple until he was well into his 30s. He met his wife, Ayesha, in 2003, married her in 2011, and, 12 years and three children later, was seen sprinting over to sweep her off her feet for a hug and a kiss after winning a celebrity golf tournament.
Curry remains close to Bob McKillop, who coached him at Davidson College, and remains in contact with his college teammates. There are times, even to this day, when Steph will blurt out “It’s a great day to be a Wildcat.”
Curry feels blessed to have the same core teammates – Klay Thompson since 2011 and Draymond Green since 2012 – for more than a decade. The same coach, Steve Kerr, since 2014. The Currys have changed addresses numerous times since 2011, but never has their professional fidelity been in question.
Nor has the region’s adoration – and admiration – for what the Currys do on and off the court.
“I'm super grateful for all of Dub Nation, super grateful for everything they've had to do with my career,” Curry said. “Me, Klay and Draymond are all trying to be in that fray so that's the goal and the motivation and I don't see why we can't.”
Golden State’s success undoubtedly plays a huge part in Steph’s allegiance. Damian Lillard might feel the same way about Portland if there had real postseason glory. The absence of such is at the root of his desire, after 11 seasons, for a divorce from the Trail Blazers.
Curry endured the lean years in the Bay without losing faith. Back in 2009, less than a month into his rookie season, with the Warriors off to a 2-5 start, he posted on Twitter: “Promise to all the Warriors fans . . . we will figure this thing out . . . if it’s the last thing we do, we will figure this out.”
They did, largely because of him.
RELATED: Steph believes CP3-Warriors union will work, but questions remain
Once mired in the NBA outback, it is Curry’s production and charisma that has piloted the Warriors to the league’s aristocracy.
“I'm blessed to be in a position where we've won four championships,” Curry said last week. “But even the years – be besides the COVID-stricken year – besides that, we've had a legit shot. You talk yourself into believing we can be a winning team and that's hard to do, hard to sustain that as long as we have.”
Like Tim Duncan in San Antonio with the Spurs, Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas with the Mavericks and Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles with the Lakers – which sits particularly close to Steph’s heart – Curry has earned the right to wear the same jersey until hangs up his branded sneakers.
Might be three more years, the time remaining on his current contract. He might re-sign for another two or three after that. Another six seasons would give Curry an even 20. Don’t rule it out.