Warriors’ Owner Explains Why He Wants Steph Curry to Emulate Tom Brady

Steph Curry

Getty Steph Curry reacts to a play in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob has a lofty comparison when it comes to Steph Curry’s longevity.

Lacob spoke about the team’s future this week as Klay Thompson returned to the court for the first time in more than two full years. The Warriors already jumped out to a league-best 30-8 record without Thompson, and Lacob believes they can go even further with him back in the lineup — and stay there for a long time thanks in large part to an extended career for Curry.

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Lacob Compares Curry to NFL Great

Speaking to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Lacob said he’s looking for more than just a short window to win another championship. The Warriors have assembled a team that has a mix of established stars like Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green along with potential stars like second-year center James Wiseman and rookies Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga. There had been some rumors that Golden State could look to trade some of this young talent in exchange for an established star, but Lacob pushed back and said he believes they have the perfect mix.

He reiterated that view this week, saying the team is built to contend for the next 10 years or more.

“Our goal is to be great throughout this decade,” Lacob said. “We had a great last decade and our goal is to set ourselves up for another great decade. We’ve got Steph, Klay and Draymond for the next several years at a high level, hopefully, longer. [Andrew] Wiggins is only 26. With [Jordan] Poole, [James] Wiseman, [Jonathan] Kuminga and [Moses] Moody, we’ve got a lot of talent to develop and a lot of work to do, but we’re pretty excited.”

Curry would be the key to that long-term plan, and Lacob said he’s advised the team’s star to emulate another future Hall of Famer from another sport.

“Well, Tom Brady’s 44 now,” Lacob said. “I tell Steph all the time, ‘Do whatever he does. Whatever he does, you do.’ I told him that,” Lacob told Yahoo Sports. “But who knows? The world is changing a lot and maybe I’m just being my usual optimist self. But I feel like Steph can play at a high level, and maybe Klay, too, for longer than most people would have done in the past.”


Curry’s Strong Season

After turning in an MVP-caliber campaign last season, Curry picked up right where he left off this year. He is averaging 26.8 points per game along with 5.4 rebounds and 6 assists, and has ranked at or near the top of NBA.com’s KIA MVP Ladder for much of the season. Though a shooting slump dropped Curry down to fifth in the latest ranking, the site noted that he can jump right back into contention.

“For the Steph superfans, please know that his fall to fifth in this week’s Kia Race to the MVP Ladder doesn’t automatically knock him out of the running for the award. He’s very much in the mix,” the site noted. “The problem is Curry is fighting through a significant slump (by his standards), not to mention a bruised quadriceps that sidelined him for Thursday’s loss at New Orleans.”

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