Stephen Curry says he doesn’t want to repeat end of Kobe Bryant’s Lakers career as he approaches retirement

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Stephen Curry is 36 years old and close enough to retirement that’s already talking about how he wants to go out.

Speaking with Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard, Curry addressed his approaching retirement and used an interesting comparison point to explain what he does and doesn’t want in his last few years with the Warriors.

Specifically, when asked about the right way to end his career, Curry said he didn’t a repeat of Kobe Bryant’s last few years with the Lakers.

From the Standard:

“Competitive,” Curry emphasized last week. “I’ve seen different scenarios. Like everybody talks about Kobe [Bryant] and his last years. From my vantage point, I’m comparing it to guys that only played for one franchise. Dirk [Nowitzki], Tim [Duncan], Kobe, from our era. … You don’t want to be in a situation the Lakers were in those last three years [with Bryant]. I know he came off the Achilles injury, but it was, like, they were a lottery team, and it was more just how many points can Kobe score down the stretch of his career. I don’t want to be in that scenario.

“My whole thing is, you have to be realistic. There’s probably not a move or a scenario where you’re gonna walk into a season or a playoff series as the perennial favorite. There’s just a lot of talent around the league. But to be competitive, where you have a chance — that’s what we want to see. I’m sure that’s what our fans want to see. Playing meaningful games, no matter how it ends. I think that’s what we deserve, and I hope that is the reality I get to live in this last part of my career.”

The Lakers enjoyed plenty of success during Bryant’s career, which spanned from 1996 to 2016, but their last few years together were indeed lacking in moments for the highlight reel. With Bryant regularly hurt after tearing his Achilles tendon in 2013, the Lakers posted an average record of 22-60 between 2013 and 2016. Even when Bryant was playing, they only went 25-82.

Bryant at least finished his career on a legendary note with his 60-point outburst against the Utah Jazz, but it’s easy to forget his contract made him somewhat…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/stephen-curry-says-he-doesnt-want-to-repeat-end-of-kobe-bryants-lakers-career-as-he-approaches-retirement-031839456.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-13 03:18:00

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