Category: Sports News

How Steph Curry's injury-shortened 2025-26 NBA season impacts his mentality originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

While Steph Curry still remains one of the top NBA players, the Warriors star currently is 38 years old and only has a few seasons left in his illustrious basketball career.

Especially after an injury-shortened 2025-26 NBA season due to patellofemoral pain syndrome, reality seems to be kicking in for the 17-year veteran that being able to play the game he loves at an elite level is not built to last forever.

When asked about how his injuries last season affect his preparation for his 18th year in the NBA, Curry detailed the various changes in how he trains and takes care of his body.

“It does. But it also adds to the understanding of basketball mortality and the fact that I won’t be able to play forever. You don’t dwell on it, but it changes the intentionality. It gives me a sense of urgency about trying to get the most out of what’s left,” Curry told The Hollywood Reporter’s Chris Gardner.

“I have to train differently. My body is different at 38 than it was even five years ago. I try to work smarter when it comes to everything that I do. I still want to be the hardest-working guy in the room and try to live on that. Whatever happens, it all takes care of itself on the court. When I get back into the season, that’s the fun part.”

Curry’s wife, Ayesha, also added that she believes the two-time NBA MVP has at least one more championship run left in him despite his age and recent injury history.

“I just know you have one more chip in you. I tell him this every other week. One more,” Ayesha commented.

The four-time NBA champion was sidelined for 39 total games last season, 27 of which were due to runner’s knee. Curry still managed to average 26.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists and shoot 39.3 percent from 3-point range during the season.

Throughout his career, Curry has never played a full 82-game season, but has appeared in 70-plus games in nine of his 17 NBA seasons.

The 12-time NBA All-Star selection is entering the final season of his current contract with the Warriors worth approximately $62.5 million, with the likelihood of another extension being on the horizon between Curry and Golden State’s front office.

Regardless of how this NBA offseason unfolds, whether or not free agent LeBron James or another superstar lands with the Warriors, there is no doubt Curry will finish his highly successful career in Golden State at some point in the near future.

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Anthony Dell’Orso came to the United States from Australia four years ago in hopes of improving his pro prospects. After a successful college career, one that culminated with helping Arizona return to the Final Four, he’s going back home.

The ex-UA guard has signed a 3-year contract to play for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League, the top professional league in Australia and New Zealand.

The 6-foot-6 Dell’Orso spent the past two seasons with Arizona, appearing in 66 games with 28 starts, averaging 7.9 points per game. He came off the bench as a senior and averaged 8.5 per contest, hitting 100 3-pointers in his UA tenure.

Dell’Orso, who began his college career at Campbell, shot 35.2 percent from 3-point range in the collegiate ranks. He scored a career-high 26 against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals in March, draining six triples, and had back-to-back 22-point performances in February when Koa Peat and Dwayne Aristode were unavailable.

Undrafted last month, Dell’Orso signed with the Sacramento Kings for the NBA Summer League. He appeared in four games, two in the California Classic and two in Las Vegas, and scored 12 points with seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Per Olgan Uluc of ESPN, Dell’Orso’s contract with Perth includes opt-outs for him to return to the NBA if another opportunity presents itself. For now, though, he’ll be joining a Wildcats team that went 33-21 during the 2025-26 season and reached the semifinals of the NBL Playoffs.

The Perth Wildcats have won 10 championships in the 10-team NBL, most recently in 2020. Other Arizona alum who have played in the NBL include Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who has been with the New Zealand Breakers for parts of the past three seasons, as well as Chase Jeter and Keanu Pinder.

Generally speaking, most people consider either Michael Jordan or LeBron James to be the GOAT of professional basketball. Jordan was an incredible presence from 1984 to 2003, minus his first two retirements. As for James, he started playing in the NBA in 2003 and, for better or worse, is still playing (he is not the player he used to be, and at some point, his diminishing skills will hurt his legacy).

As we said, most people would go with one of them for the greatest of all time, but not everyone. Take Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Kareem has a somewhat forgotten choice: Oscar Robertson. Robertson was somewhat overshadowed in the 1960s by the Boston Celtics, and the Lakers, first with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, and later with Wilt Chamberlain, but was he truly great?

Absolutely, he was, and this video makes a plausible argument for placing him ahead of Jordan and James.

Robertson, first and foremost, was decades ahead of his time. He was a 6-5 point guard who averaged a triple-double. He was immensely skilled, and strong enough to box out much bigger players.

As the video suggests, Kareem, who played with the Big O for two seasons early in his career, is uniquely qualified to judge greatness. He played against Chamberlain, with Magic Johnson, and against Jordan and Larry Bird.

The basic argument is that Robertson had a combination of total skills, talent, and control of the game that was well beyond that of Jordan and James. Not many people will accept this, because they’ve mostly seen Jordan and James, and Robertson is now 87 years old, and not everyone saw him in his prime.

But it’s a plausible argument as you watch this. What do you think?

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LeBron James possibly signing with Warriors draws eye-popping Bronny reaction originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LeBron James has kept his cards so close to the vest, that not even his own son seems to know where he will go.

The elder James remains a free agent as a handful of prominent NBA teams continue to vie for his services this summer, and it’s unclear when a decision might come.

His oldest son, Bronny, recently was approached on the street by Instagram creator biggy22x, who first asked James to share a message to the youth before then asking the pressing question Warriors fans wants to know: Is his dad going to Golden State?

“Man, I don’t know where he’s going,” Bronny said laughing. “That would be crazy if he did.”

While Bronny might not yet know where his dad will play next season, it’s safe to assume he, and the James family, at least, has some sort of inkling about where the 22-time NBA All-Star realistically could end up and how close he is to making a decision.

However, one organization James won’t choose, is the Los Angeles Lakers, which he officially departed earlier this offseason and where he was able to play alongside his son Bronny for the past two seasons.

Now, with James potentially joining the Warriors, the father and son soon could become Pacific Division and Western Conference rivals.

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Why pairing LeBron James, Jimmy Butler together would be tricky for Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Everything Jimmy Butler III has said or done since coming to the Warriors signifies contentment with the franchise. He arrived 17 months ago with a smile that remains in place as he rehabs from surgery to repair a torn right ACL. He’s sincere, or a superb actor.

Statements made by Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy in recent months indicate Butler – his former teammate for three NBA seasons with the Chicago Bulls – will be a Warrior once he is cleared to play.

Meanwhile, the Warriors are hoping against hope that LeBron James will agree to joining their roster.

The dialogue linking James to the Warriors is mostly related to his positive relationships with Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and coach Steve Kerr. As for Butler, it’s as if his early season unavailability nudges him outside the chatter.

There could be more than that, though. Specifically in terms of “fit,” a factor generally at the top of Kerr’s roster-building process.

Butler is a wise 36-year-old small forward who plays big, eagerly bullies into the paint, takes great pleasure in creating easy shots for his teammates and has a knack for drawing fouls that result in free throws. Butler is at his best when he has the ball.

James is a wise 41-year-old small forward who plays big, eagerly bullies into the paint, takes great pleasure in creating easy shots for his teammates and has shot more than 12,000 free throws. James is at his best when he has the ball.

Butler and James are not the same player, but they share so many attributes and competitive characteristics that having them on the same roster results in considerable replication.

Moreover, putting them on the court together would relegate one to the margins. Who plays off the ball? Who stands in the corner prepared to catch-and-shoot?

That doesn’t suit either. Butler has been on five different NBA teams, and was a focal point at every turn. James has been on three different teams, always the focal point – until last season in Los Angeles.

“I was put into some positions I’ve never been in before in my career, actually in my life,” James told reporters in May, after the Lakers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs. “I’ve never been a third option in my life. To be able to thrive in that role, for that period of time, then to step back into that role that I’ve been accustomed to over my career, over my life playing this sport . . . that was pretty cool for me at this stage in my career.”

Being the “third option” behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves was not so appealing that James wanted to stay in LA, the most convenient location for his lifestyle. Remaining in that role with the Lakers would have granted him the highest possible salary.

James, however, wanted to explore his options, which are many. He’s seeking, according to representative Rich Paul, personal joy, family comfort, trustworthy teammates and a reasonable a chance for fifth ring. None of the teams leading the LeBron Polls offers all four components.

The Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers would pull LeBron far away from his West Coast base. So would the Cleveland Cavaliers, who offset some of that by being his “second home.” The Warriors are closest to LA but adding James merely moves them from the middle of the NBA to somewhere in the 8-to-12 range.

Which brings us to another of Golden State’s longtime fantasy acquisitions: Anthony Davis.

It’s well known that James, moving into his 24th NBA season, considers Davis one of his favorite teammates. They led the Lakers to a championship during the Covid-impacted Bubble Season in 2020. Davis currently belongs to the Washington Wizards, and league sources indicate that they plan to keep him as part of a core with Trae Young, No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa and Davis. Seven-foot Alex Sarr, 21, would alleviate AD’s concerns about playing center.

Davis in two weeks will be eligible to sign a max contract extension with Washington. The Wizards are hinting they’re committed to AD being part of their future, but Aug. 6 is the “put up or shut up” date. If they immediately affirm their ties to Davis, he likely stays. Any stalling or low-balling with Paul and the Klutch group could change the game.

With James still weighing his options, there is growing speculation that his decision could be tied to Davis’ future. If AD wants out, that could open the door for the Warriors.

Any attempt to pry Davis from Washington via sign-and-trade would have to include multiple NBA draft picks and a big salary. Such as that attached to Butler, who will be paid $56.8 million in the final year of his deal.

That outcome remains a longshot – even less likely than landing James – but the Warriors would be negligent not to pursue it if it were to deliver LeBron.

One thing, however, is certain. The LeBron-Jimmy roster fit, as smart as they are, would be tricky for Kerr.

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We’re at the part of the summer where LeBron James is controlling the basketball narratives because there’s nothing to talk about. Apparently, the decision would have happened by now had Adam Silver not rushed him.

Apparently, James is just like us and gets irritated by Adam Silver too.

But that may just be a ruse. It appears that Klutch would like to make a trade happen that would get Anthony Davis to either Cleveland or Golden State, and that might help James make his decision.

But how would this affect the Jazz?

Well, it appears the Jazz might be willing to take part in a multi-team deal that would send Jarrett Allen to Utah, which makes sense with the departure of Walker Kessler.

If this report from Marty Mush is to be believed, maybe there’s a shot at Utah getting their replacement center? Allen has a three-year $90M deal and could be the answer Utah is looking for now that Kessler is gone. It would be remarkable for Utah to keep the assets they got from the Lakers and still get a starting-caliber center as they enter the season.

That said, it appears this is dependent on the Wizards, Cavs, and Golden State as well, and if some sort of deal can be hashed out.