Browsing: Stephen

Following the Golden State Warriors’ 119-109 season-opening win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, Warriors star Jimmy Butler revealed the bet he made with teammate Draymond Green.

While speaking to reporters after the game, Butler divulged that he bet Green he would have a higher free-throw percentage than Stephen Curry this season:

When asked by a reporter if he believes he can come out on the winning side of the bet, Butler said, “Of course I think I can.”

Curry was later informed of the bet by reporters and asked if it is “plausible” for Butler to shoot a higher percentage from the line. With a smile, Curry replied, “No chance.”

Over the course of his 15-year NBA career, Butler has consistently been a strong free-throw shooter, making 84.4 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe overall.

However, Curry is the all-time NBA leader in free-throw shooting percentage at 91.2 percent, and he has led the league in that category five times, including last season when he shot 93.3 percent.

In qualifying seasons, that was the second-best mark of Curry’s illustrious career, behind only the 93.4 percent he shot in 2010-11.

Both Butler and Curry got off to perfect starts Tuesday night with Butler going 16-for-16 from the line and Curry going 8-for-8.

While they are technically tied, the fact that Butler made all 16 of his free-throw attempts against the Lakers means he has a bit more margin for error moving forward than Curry does.

As strong as Butler has always been from the line, he has never shot better than 87.0 percent in a season. That could prove to be an issue, as the only time Curry made fewer than 88.5 percent of his foul shots in a season was 2011-12 when injuries limited him to only 26 games.

Although Butler is 36 and Curry is 37, they both continue to play at a high level, which is why they managed to reach the second round of the playoffs last season.

The Warriors will continue to go as Butler and Curry go, and they both excelled in Tuesday’s win, as Butler led the team with 31 points, while Curry added 23 points.

Butler and Curry may not necessarily need any additional motivation outside of chasing a championship late in their careers, but perhaps the bet will give both of them an extra push to lock in even more than usual at the free-throw line.

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Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is open to playing into his 40s.

“All I’ll say is that I just want the option and if I’m at a legitimate ability to be able to play,” Curry told Mark Medina of EssentiallySports. “I don’t know if it’ll make sense or if I would want to, whatever the case is. But if I can make the decision and the decision is not made for me, that’s a big, big point.”

The 11-time All-Star and four-time champion will be turning 38 years old during the 2025-26 season.

He’ll be 40 years old in the middle of Golden State’s 2027-28 campaign, although he’s only signed through the 2026-27 season after agreeing to a one-year extension worth $62.6 million with the team in Aug. 2024.

Curry, who has spent his entire 16-year career on the Warriors, has repeatedly expressed his desire to finish his NBA journey as a member of the organization.

He hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down recently, as his legendary shooting prowess has allowed him to remain one of the league’s top point guards throughout the back half of his career.

Curry is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game on 44.8/39.7/93.3 shooting splits while helping the Warriors finish with a 50-32 record.

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While LeBron James dominates the “when might he retire†discussion around the NBA, the other biggest names of an elite generation of players are facing the same question. Kevin Durant, who just turned 37 a week ago, is one, but heâ€s close to signing a two-year contract extension in Houston.

Then thereâ€s Stephen Curry. Heâ€s also 37 but has shown no signs of slowing down: All-NBA and All-Star a season ago who finished in the top 10 in MVP voting, he averaged 24.5 points and six assists a game, and his gravity, shooting and player movement are still at the heart of the Warriors†offense.

Curry has no idea when he will retire, but he knows itâ€s coming, he told Malika Andrews of ESPN.

“No clue. I just know itâ€s closer than it was even yesterday. Acknowledging it is fun, because the more I talk about it, the more I appreciate what all goes into preparing yourself. But all of that stuff is just the privilege that youâ€ve earned. Iâ€m trying not to put any timestamps or anything, other than the sense of urgency on it now.â€

Curry has two years remaining on his current contract (including this season) and could sign an extension a year from now (similar to Durant), but he holds all the cards. Golden State will give him whatever he wants — heâ€s still the guy that drives the business by people and sponsors paying to be associated with him and the Warriors — and itâ€s just a question of how much longer he wants to play. Right now, he continues to produce at an incredibly high level for a team with a chance at a deep postseason run if they can get the core — particularly Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green — to the playoffs healthy.

Retirement isnâ€t in the cards for Curry yet. But it is closer than it was yesterday.

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Stephen Curry doesn’t have a retirement timeline in mind, though the eventual end to his career is certainly something he’s processing.

“No clue. I just know it’s closer than it was even yesterday,” he told ESPN’s Malika Andrews when asked if he knew when the end of his career would be (1:57 mark). “Acknowledging it is fun, because the more I talk about it, the more I appreciate what all goes into preparing yourself. But all of that stuff is just the privilege that you’ve earned. I’m trying not to put any timestamps or anything, other than the sense of urgency on it now.”

The 37-year-old has a title window that is slowly closing, though the longevity of players like Curry and LeBron James (40 years old) continues to be astounding. Both are still playing at a very high level, with Curry averaging 24.5 points and six assists in 70 games last season while shooting 39.7 percent from three.

The Warriors added Jimmy Butler ahead of last season’s trade deadline to maximize that window, and it will be interesting to see how the Warriors fare will a full season to work Butler into the fold. A number of contenders in the West like the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets seem like safer bets to win a title than the Warriors, though the Curry-Butler duo makes the Dubs a definite threat.

It’s unclear if winning a fifth title this season would potentially nudge Curry toward retiring. Given the level he continues to play at, he seems to have several years left in the tank, but only Curry knows how long he wants this journey to be.

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The Curry brothers are back together again.

Seth Curry reached a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Seth will join his brother, Stephen Curry, and the Warriors at the start of training camp this week. Specifics of his deal are not yet known.

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Seth spent last season with the Charlotte Hornets, where he averaged 6.5 points and 1.7 rebounds largely off the bench. He became a free agent at the end of the season. The Warriors will mark the fifth team that Seth has played for in the past five seasons.

Seth went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft out of Duke, but he signed a deal and got his start with both the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers during his rookie season. He’s bounced around for much of his career, and also spent time with the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets before landing with Charlotte during the 2023-24 campaign. In total, he’s averaged 10 points, two rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting better than 43% from behind the arc in his career.

[Get more Warriors news: Golden State team feed]

This will mark the first time that the Curry brothers have been on the same team in the NBA. Stephen has been with the Warriors for his entire career after they took him with the No. 7 overall pick in 2009. The two-time MVP and two-time scoring champ been a centerpiece in their dynasty run that won four NBA championships. He averaged 24.5 points and six assists last season with the Warriors while averaging a league-high 4.4 made 3-pointers per game.

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The Warriors went 48-34 last season and fell in the Western Conference semifinals for the second time in the past three seasons. The move to add Seth was the second that the Warriors made on Tuesday. They reached a two-year, $48.5 million deal with Jonathan Kuminga earlier on Tuesday afternoon after months of a contract dispute.

The Warriors will open the regular season on Oct. 21 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

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When Ottawa Senators prospect Stephen Halliday arrives at a new level, he seems to figure things out quickly. At every level he moves up to — whether it’s the USHL, the NCAA, or the AHL — he’s found a way to not only stick with the club, but to thrive, moving quickly to the top of his team’s scoring list. That’s part of what makes the 23-year-old forward so intriguing as he pushes toward the NHL.

Halliday doesnâ€t come with the prospect status of, say, a Carter Yakemchuk, the Senators†2024 first-round pick. But he’s not far off. With his size (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) and skill, he checks off a lot of boxes, and he’s also got a history of quickly figuring things out at each level.

Back in 2021–22, a few months shy of his 20th birthday, Halliday put up 95 points in 62 games for the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. But because he was an older junior player who had been passed over in two NHL drafts, those were red flags. The Senators’ scouting still liked him, though, and by the fourth round of the 2022 draft, they decided to book some Halliday time.

Halliday went on to lead Ohio State in scoring for two straight seasons, then did the same in his first full year with Belleville last season, collecting 51 points in 71 games. Each time heâ€s climbed a rung, heâ€s found a way to adjust, then take over.

Now, the biggest challenge lies ahead: carving out a place in the NHL.

Halliday gave fans a glimpse of that potential on Sunday afternoon in Quebec City, when the Senators blanked the New Jersey Devils 2–0 in preseason action. With the game scoreless late in the third period, he broke through with a perfectly placed snap shot that beat Devils goalie Georgi Romanov high to the glove side.

“Yeah, Timmy kind of drove the middle, and I was just kind of trying to be there if there was a rebound. And then a guy poked it to me, and then I just kind of shot it.â€

Halliday’s Late Power Play Goal Leads Ottawa Senators Past Devils 2-0
The Ottawa Senators improved their preseason record to 2–1 on Sunday afternoon with a 2–0 victory over a New Jersey Devils split-squad at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City.

Halliday made it sound like a lucky shot, and maybe it was. But his release was quick and decisive, the kind of finish NHL coaches notice. That said, Senators head coach Travis Green is always careful not to give a player too much public praise.

“Heâ€s a smart player,” head coach Travis Green said after the game. “Heâ€s got good hands. Heâ€s big. Heâ€s got good hockey sense.

If you sensed a ‘but’ coming, you’d be right.

“Heâ€s still adapting to the pace of the league. Heâ€s had a few days where heâ€s tired. But heâ€s hanging in there.â€

Greenâ€s message was clear: thereâ€s still work to be done. Halliday is aware of that, but right now, he says he feels great.

“I feel like I am making more plays, more confident,” Halliday said. “The D-zone, I think, was a big thing for me, just making sure Iâ€m strong on pucks. Iâ€ve been working on that a lot and just kind of taking it day by day. So Iâ€m really happy with my game so far.â€

Halliday is still a little shy when the microphones come out, but after Sundayâ€s win, he lit up when talking about Thomas Chabot, who suited up in his hometown region of Quebec City.

“Yeah, you can just see how cool the city is, and he’s been showing us around and taking us to cool spots, and we went golfing on his golf course on our off day. So it means a lot for a guy like me who’s just coming up here.

“So it was really cool and we’re really happy to get that (win) for Chabby.”

Looks like we can check off the “great teammate” box as well.

Halliday’s rise to the next level might not happen this fall, but his day is coming. And if the Sens decide to let him cook some more at the AHL level, he’s going to be a handful down there, and a nightmare for opposing goalies.

More Sens Headlines From The Hockey News Ottawa:
Why Wasn’t Sunday’s Senators-Devils Game On English Radio Or TV?
After Barkov Injury, Atlantic Division Suddenly Feels Up For Grabs
Former Senator Josh Norris Embraces New Opportunity To Prove Himself
Will This Be Shane Pinto’s Breakout Year With The Senators?
Drake Batherson Joins Ottawa Senators List Of Preseason Injury Concerns
After Two Broken Clavicles, Kaliyev Targets Capital Comeback

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