Stephen Curry says he wants to own NBA team after retiring, explains how Olympics deepened respect for LeBron

Stephen Curry wants to own an NBA team one day. In an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” the Golden State Warriors superstar said that he’s “seen [Michael] Jordan do it,” and, like other current players who are “taking the necessary steps” to follow Jordan’s footsteps, he is interested in getting into the ownership game after he retires.

“For me, that’s definitely on the table,” Curry said. “But obviously I know I have a lot more left to accomplish on the court before you move into any other role in the league. But definitely want to be a part of the ownership landscape. I think I could do a pretty good job of helping sustain how great the NBA is right now, and the things that I’ve learned over my career and what it takes to run a championship organization.”

Curry, 36, just signed a one-year, $62.6 million extension with the Warriors that will keep him under contract until the 2026-27 season. “I got at least three years left, and I know, like, it’s all about not just how many years you play, but the level that you’re playing,” he said on CNBC. “So I feel like I have a lot left in the tank. I want to keep winning. It’s been great to represent one franchise for my entire career.” He said he would not be breaking news about how long he intends to play — he intends to finish this contract and then “take it from there.”

After 15 years in the NBA, during which he has won four championships, won the MVP and Finals MVP awards and made the All-NBA team 10 times, Curry accomplished some new goals this summer. In his first appearance at the Olympics, he led the United States to a gold medal, scoring 36 points (on 9-for-14 shooting from 3-point range) against Serbia in the semifinals and 24 points (on 8-for-12 shooting from 3-point range, including four straight in crunch time) against France in the gold medal game. The thrill of those victories — and, specifically, his out-of-body experience right at the end — has not worn off.

“It takes an energy of its own in the Olympics,” Curry said. “When you get to the medal or the knockout rounds, it’s a one-and-done environment. It’s kind of like March Madness. And you know, like, that Serbia game we had in the semifinals, I got hot early to kind of keep us in it and then we had that big comeback in the fourth quarter. It was just a rush. Seven-game series, it’s a long build-up — this was just one game, 40 minutes, can you get it done? 

“And obviously, the France game, gold medal game in France. That last three minutes was storybook stuff, and it still hasn’t really sunk in. I mean, winning a gold, we expected to do that, we knew it was going to be hard. But how it happened? I still watch some highlights. It’s kind of dope.”

In a separate interview, Curry told People’s Natasha Dye that, as teammates with Team USA, he and LeBron James “motivated each other even more” for the final stages of their respective careers.

“All the battles we’ve had on the court and the back and forth, the fact that we actually got to be teammates, not just in any game like an All-Star game or whatever, but in high stakes basketball with a lot on the line … I think there’s a deepened respect and friendship there,” Curry said.

He added that he hopes he and James will have more on-court experiences like that down the road, “even if we’re teammates or not.”

If Curry is entering the 2024-25 season on a high, he would like to sustain it. “Obviously coming off of this Olympic experience, I’m trying to channel that energy all year,” he said. Unsurprisingly, the self-proclaimed Petty King has taken note of Golden State’s relatively modest external expectations. 

“I love the fact that people don’t think we can keep the pace with some of the other teams that they’re picking in the West,” Curry said. “And I just love that challenge of stepping into a training camp and being able to create your own success — that gets me going.”

The Warriors lost Klay Thompson, a franchise legend, this offseason. Their Chris Paul era, ended, too, after just a single season, and the front office was not able to pull off a blockbuster trade for Paul George, Lauri Markkanen or any other big name. Golden State did, however, add De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield to the roster. This is still a deep team, and Curry, as he showed in Paris, is still an offense unto himself.