Golden State Warriors fans may want a fifth NBA championship for Stephen Curry even more than he does.
Or at least that seems to be the common misconception.
The iconic sharpshooter revealed Thursday that chasing a fifth title is his sole motivation for playing into his age-38 season and beyond.
“Not at all,” Curry told ABC7 News Bay Area when asked if fans want a fifth championship for him even more than he does.
“They might talk about it more…. but of course, I want to win,” he continued. “Of course, winning a championship is the ultimate goal. It’s honestly the only real thing that is a motivator as to why you work so hard, why you invest so much energy into not only my craft and my preparedness for a season.”
These words are exactly what Warriors fans wanted to hear. Curry is still arguably a top-10 player and can capture another title if surrounded by the right pieces.
Stephen Curry Accepts ‘Uphill’ Battle
And Curry knows that. He left $20M on the table while agreeing to a two-year, $116M extension just to give the Warriors front office the flexibility to pursue a co-star next offseason. The Warriors could reportedly have $64M in cap space next summer.
In the meantime, Curry is excited to enter a new season playing alongside Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg and others, even though he realizes the Warriors face an “uphill battle” to win the loaded Western Conference.
“We show up with the mentality that we want to win, and then we know that this team is in a challenge, an uphill battle to put it all together in a way that is different than teams in the past, and that’s a challenge that we want to accept, and if it happens, you know, it’s not because of a lack of effort,” he said.
Stephen Curry Provides Injury Update
Curry missed 27 games last season with patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) and another 12 games with other injuries. Entering the new season, there have been concerns that his lingering knee injury could curtail his effectiveness.
He is confident he can brave the injury, calling it “the new normal” going forward.
“It’s a concern,” Curry admitted about his knee injury [H/T X account aly).
“But it’s something that, now that I know what it is, you can kind of get ahead of it and manage it in a way that allows me to do what I need to do on the court, be available for my team, but have all the preparations to make sure that it’s able to recover and I’m able to be out there most nights.
“So, it’s a new normal. I’m not afraid of saying that because I kind of know what I’m dealing with, and just requires me to approach things a little differently but still play.”
Curry and the Warriors open their season against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 21.
Warriors Fans Get Stephen Curry Words They Want to Hear