As just the fifth highest-compensated player on the Golden State Warriors roster, Christian NBA basketball star Stephen Curry is taking his underpaid status in great stride, saying he is just happy to have a job where he can provide for his family.
He admitted to Yahoo Sports that he does reflect on the status of his salary compared to other players who receive more, such as Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andrew Bogut. As the NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP), Curry can undoubtedly demand a higher salary, but he has already signed a four-year $44 million contract back in 2012.
"I had to make a conscious decision and remind myself over and over (to let it go)," Curry said. "I could've had a different perspective and said, 'I want to get everything that I could get, wait it out, test free agency that next year – and who knows what would've happened? But for me, a $44-million contract was plenty for me to be able to provide for my family. When I made a decision to sign an extension, I told myself that was the right decision for the moment."
Curry believes that players should get paid for their "market value," meaning they should be paid for what they're worth. But back then, he was already comfortable with the contract deal. Given the issues he had with his ankle, he thought it wise to obtain financial security.
"You can't look back, because it'll bring negativity. It'll cause dissension in the team if you allow it to," he said. What Curry is focusing on right now is the huge payday he will receive once his contract is finished.
"After three years, I've still got to remind myself every day," said Curry. "Number one, there's nothing I can do about it. There's no point to moaning and complaining and trying to change something that really can't be changed. I knew there might be a time down the road, after all the ankle injuries, that if I'm playing to my potential, it's going to be human nature to think, 'Oh, I should've done this, or that...'
"At the time, the counsel that I got from my family, my agent, myself, was that it was the right decision to make. With that, I could take care of my family and be good. And hopefully anything that happened after that would just be icing on the cake," he added.
