Butler says Curry's choice to stay with one team shows how special he is, and he gets to see it up close every day.
Very few NBA stars get to spend their whole career in one place, but point guard Stephen Curry is now on track to do just that with the Golden State Warriors.
Curry signed a two-year, $116 million extension on Friday, Sept. 25, and the new deal runs through the 2028-29 season.
Forward Jimmy Butler has watched all of it up close, and he had plenty to say about Curry's choice at media day on Monday.
Butler said he would love to see Curry play his entire career wearing No. 30 for Golden State, and he talked about what it is like to see Curry's impact as his teammate.
Butler Sees It Every Day
"It's very hard to do, but it just shows how great he is, the great things that he's done in this community, obviously for this organization, and just how beloved he is by the world, actually," Butler said at media day. "I see it firsthand now being his teammate."
That is high praise from a player who knows how hard it is to stay with one team in today's NBA.
Curry is 38 and heading into his 18th season, all of them with Golden State.
If he plays through the end of this two-year extension, he would join Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant and Udonis Haslem as the only players in league history to play 20 or more seasons with one franchise.
The extension is worth about $20 million less than the max he could have asked for, and he has already explained why he was fine with a team-friendly deal if it helps the Warriors win again.
Head coach Steve Kerr said the team never doubted for a minute that Curry would re-sign.
Butler's Own Road Back
Butler's words mean even more because he is still working his way back from a major injury.
He tore his right ACL on Jan. 19 against Miami, which ended his season after 38 games in which he averaged 20.0 points.
There is no timeline for his return, though the Warriors hope to have him back early in 2027.
Butler is also in the final year of the two-year extension he signed after the Warriors traded for him at the 2025 deadline.
He said the contract is not about money for him and that winning takes care of the rest, which fits the same team-first message he gave about Curry.
His recovery from a torn ACL has him dunking again, and he was set to make the trip to Hawaii with the team for camp.
What Comes Next for Golden State
Center Kristaps Porziņģis is out indefinitely with a health issue, and guard Moses Moody is also recovering from knee surgery.
That puts even more on Curry, who averaged 26.6 points in 43 games last season.
Golden State opens the preseason on Sunday, Oct. 4, against the Clippers in Honolulu, then starts the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 21, against the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Curry is locked in through 2028-29, and with the Warriors hoping to get Butler back early in 2027, a lot of the early load will sit on Curry's shoulders again.
