Before becoming two-time MVP, four-time NBA champion, Finals MVP and (for some) the best point guard in history, in addition to being the best shooter of all time, Stephen Curry struggled a lot. The fault of capricious ankles, which for example forced him to miss 40 games (out of 66 possible) during his third year with the Warriors.
At the time, many doubted the ability of the fragile “Baby-Faced Assassin” to become the leader of the Bay franchise. Despite the risk, Golden State executives still insisted on extending it for $44 million over four years to prevent it from testing the market like free agent protected in the summer of 2013. Today, it’s simply less than what he earns per season ($48 million in 2022/23)!
Without knowing it, with this first extension, initialed on October 31, 2012, Halloween day and the eve of the start of the regular season, Stephen Curry would transform the face of the NBA and, above all, the trajectory of the Warriors. On point to consider himself his contract as ” the most advantageous in history from the NBA…
“ A year later, it was already the worst case in the history of professional sport “Draymond Green will bluntly estimate. ” But, for the Warriors, it was obviously the best possible deal. »
Stephen Curry has reached an agreement on a four-year, $44 million extension with the Golden State Warriors: http://t.co/FkJhNSAh
—Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) October 31, 2012
#Dubs Gameday baby. And thanks to Joe Lacob & the Warriors hopefully I can say that for the next 4 yrs. agreed on extension
—Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) October 31, 2012
Thanks to him, a dynasty was created
Indeed, as soon as he did not re-sign for the max with the Dubs, Stephen Curry has changed dimensions. With almost 23 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals on average in 2012/13, but above all 78 games played (out of 82 possible), he exploded in the eyes of all. Both in the regular season (including 54 points at Madison Square Garden), and in the playoffs (defeat in the conference semi-finals against the Spurs).
In 2013/14, “Steph” progressed further (24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.6 steals on average, over 78 games), finally becoming All-Star and still guiding Golden State in the playoffs (elimination in the first round against the Clippers ). Until this famous exercise 2014/15, where he definitely entered the court of the (very) great…
Elected MVP of the regular season and crowned NBA champion, under the orders of Steve Kerr and no longer of Mark Jackson, Stephen Curry thus launched his ascent to the heights of the league and in the history books, because he then won three other rings (2017, 2018, 2022), a Finals MVP title (2022), another MVP trophy (2016, unanimously!), two high scorer titles (2016, 2021) and multiple selections in the All-Star Game or in an All-NBA Team.
But, beyond his individual and collective performances, the iconic leader of the Warriors indirectly allowed his franchise to build a real dynasty, thanks to his (modest) contract extension in the fall of 2012. Thanks to him, its leaders were indeed able to subsequently re-sign Klay Thompson and Draymond Green at a high price, while enlisting Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016…
Maneuvers made possible by the approximately 10 to 12 million dollars annually received by Stephen Curry, between 2013 and 2017. Because, even by becoming double MVP, and before establishing himself as the highest paid player in the league, he has long been out of the Top 50 NBA highest earners, due to the explosion of the salary cap. So much so that he was only the 82nd highest paid basketball player in the league in 2016/17!
Financially, he recovered well afterwards…
Finally, as a good leader, the very humble and now solid Stephen Curry preferred to set an example for his teammates, rather than ruminating in his corner, thinking about all the money he could have earned at the time.
” I tried to immediately lay down certain foundations in my state of mind and never renegotiate with myself afterwards, never doubt myself, never go back to this moment by saying to myself: ‘I would have had to, I could have, I would have wanted’, because life doesn’t work that way “, judged the main interested party, when he was asked to redo the story.
To put things into perspective, Stephen Curry took the career of his father, Dell, as an example.
” $44 million over four years was more than anything my dad made in the NBA “, he explained in this regard. ” I obviously know how much the league has evolved in all that time, but it was already a nice amount of money. I supported my family and had a lot of security, but I just wanted to be healthy. So I focused on that, rather than thinking about what I left on the table. »
Especially since we can now say that Stephen Curry made up for it afterwards, because he managed to hit the jackpot in 2017 (201 million dollars over five years) then in 2021 (215 million dollars). dollars over four years). Two XXL contract extensions, which will allow him to simply earn more than… 470 million dollars in career earnings, at the end of the 2025/26 season!
| Stephen Curry | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2009-10 | GOS | 80 | 36 | 46.2 | 43.7 | 88.5 | 0.6 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 17.5 |
| 2010-11 | GOS | 74 | 34 | 48.0 | 44.2 | 93.4 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 18.6 |
| 2011-12 | GOS | 26 | 28 | 49.0 | 45.5 | 80.9 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 14.7 |
| 2012-13 | GOS | 78 | 38 | 45.1 | 45.3 | 90.0 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 6.9 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 0.2 | 22.9 |
| 2013-14 | GOS | 78 | 37 | 47.1 | 42.4 | 88.5 | 0.6 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 0.2 | 24.0 |
| 2014-15 ★ | GOS | 80 | 33 | 48.7 | 44.3 | 91.4 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 7.7 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 0.2 | 23.8 |
| 2015-16 ★ | GOS | 79 | 34 | 50.4 | 45.4 | 90.8 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 6.7 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 30.1 |
| 2016-17 | GOS | 79 | 33 | 46.8 | 41.1 | 89.8 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 25.3 |
| 2017-18 | GOS | 51 | 32 | 49.5 | 42.3 | 92.1 | 0.7 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 26.4 |
| 2018-19 | GOS | 69 | 34 | 47.2 | 43.7 | 91.6 | 0.7 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 27.3 |
| 2019-20 | GOS | 5 | 28 | 40.2 | 24.5 | 100.0 | 0.8 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 20.8 |
| 2020-21 | GOS | 63 | 34 | 48.2 | 42.1 | 91.6 | 0.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.1 | 32.0 |
| 2021-22 | GOS | 64 | 35 | 43.7 | 38.0 | 92.3 | 0.5 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 6.3 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 25.5 |
| 2022-23 | GOS | 5 | 33 | 48.6 | 45.8 | 92.6 | 0.6 | 5.4 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.2 | 30.8 |
| Total | 831 | 34 | 47.4 | 42.8 | 90.8 | 0.7 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 6.5 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 0.2 | 24.3 | |
