Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, now both 38, are still producing elite basketball a decade after their partnership began, and their Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets meet on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET for the first time this season. Their union once looked like the foundation of a potential dynasty, but the pairing broke up far sooner than anyone expected, while both players have sustained their form for much longer.
When Curry and Durant joined forces, they formed arguably the most lethal scoring duo in NBA history. Both were former MVPs and scoring champions in their primes, and they were 28 when they began their first title chase together in 2016-17. The Warriors started that season 20-3, and they were so dominant that critics quickly called the pairing “unfair.”
Two developments have shaped the years since. The partnership ended quicker than anyone could have predicted. Meanwhile, Curry and Durant have sustained elite play far longer than anyone anticipated. The first point is well known. After two championships and a torn Achilles, the nomadic Durant left the Bay Area to start afresh with the Brooklyn Nets, while Curry has become one of the league’s all-time single-franchise icons.
The second point has received less attention, largely because of LeBron James’ record-setting longevity. James has rewritten the record books and kept playing into his 40s, but Curry and Durant have also prospered late in their careers in a way few superstars have before them.
Curry is rivalling his unanimous MVP season a decade on
Curry enters Wednesday averaging 30.6 points per game and shooting 45.6% on 3-pointers, a prime example of the adage that shooting helps you age well. The two-time MVP is making more 3-pointers per game and shooting a higher percentage this season than he did in 2016-17, his first campaign alongside Durant.
Only one player in NBA history has matched Curry’s current 3-point volume (4.7 per game) and efficiency (45%) over a full season, and that player was Curry himself during his unanimous 2015-16 MVP season.
Curry’s status as the greatest shooter ever is not the only reason for his longevity. His physical fitness, ballhandling, poise and comfort within Golden State’s offence have all helped him keep producing with remarkable consistency.
“Work ethic and good genes,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said earlier this week. “[Curry] has been blessed with a body that has held up. But he’s also earned that through his strength training, his conditioning, [and] his fitness level is just off the charts. It’s so remarkable at 38 to watch him still do what he does.”
Perhaps the most important change to Curry’s shot profile is how few of his 3-pointers he now creates himself. During his 2016 MVP season, 55% of his 3-pointers were assisted by teammates. That figure has risen steadily over the past five years to a career-high 74% this season. Curry has gradually traded some of his most spectacular shots, such as off-the-dribble 3-pointers and transition bombs, for catch-and-shoot attempts. He still works hard before the catch to free himself from attentive defences, however.
Curry’s hot shooting and Golden State’s ability to support him have allowed him to bend the typical age curve in a fashion never seen before. Compared with Hall of Fame point guards John Stockton and Steve Nash, and future Hall of Famers Chris Paul and James Harden, Curry’s progression through his 30s stands out. His player efficiency rating (PER) has tended to edge out the group by a narrow margin for much of that period, but his start this season has left him in a class of his own. His 33.9 PER to date easily surpasses the age-38 figures for James (23.9), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (22.7), Tim Duncan (22.6) and Michael Jordan (20.7).
Regression, perhaps significant regression, is likely as the season unfolds, so Curry’s performance to date should not be taken for granted. Next-generation stars Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama have attracted most of the early MVP buzz, but Curry deserves a place in the conversation given his electric start and the Warriors’ winning record despite serious injury problems.
Curry’s value to the Warriors extends well beyond his on-court production, but the franchise could not ask for a better return on the two-year, $116 million extension it granted him in September. That deal will carry him through his age-40 season, and Golden State has every reason to believe he will surpass Stockton as the most productive guard to play past that milestone.
Durant’s scoring prowess and how high he could climb
By the most basic measures, Durant’s career has been less charmed than Curry’s since their split. Curry strengthened his standing as a Bay Area legend and led the Warriors to the 2022 championship, while Durant moved from the Nets to the Phoenix Suns and now to the Rockets. Since tearing his Achilles during the 2019 Finals in his final game with the Warriors, the 16-time All-Star forward has not returned to the conference finals.
Durant’s thirties have still been remarkable. He has arguably produced the most successful comeback from an Achilles tear in NBA history, and he continues to rank among the league’s most productive forwards for his age as he approaches 40.
“I was just hoping to get to 10 years,” Durant said earlier this season. “You just hear the statistics of how short your life is as an NBA player. I took heed to all that information early on, and I just wanted to approach every day like it was my last. … After 10 years, I just wanted to keep it going as long as I can.”
Last season, Durant earned All-NBA second-team honours by averaging 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Rockets. Like Curry, his scoring craftsmanship has been essential to his late-career success, and he nearly achieved a hallowed 50/40/90 shooting season in 2025-26. His 21.1 PER last season ranked third all time among forwards at age 37, trailing only James (26.2) and Karl Malone (24.7).
Durant’s PER curve since his return from the Achilles injury compares favourably with James, Malone and Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki, who set the gold standard for late-career productivity among forwards. Durant’s arc matches James and Malone closely and clearly outpaces Nowitzki. That relatively gradual decline suggests Durant has several more years of high-level basketball ahead of him.
Houston has sharply reduced his role this season in an effort to create a more balanced offence, yet Durant is averaging 21.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He remains on track to pass Kobe Bryant for fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list later this season.
Durant is also 5,559 points short of passing Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s No. 2 all-time scorer behind James. To close that gap, he would need to average 20 points per game and play about 280 more games. That is difficult but not impossible. At his current scoring pace and with reasonably good health, Durant would be poised to pass Abdul-Jabbar during his age-42 season. James is currently in his own age-42 season with the Philadelphia 76ers for comparison. Even if Durant falls short of Abdul-Jabbar, he should be closing in on Malone for third place by the time his current contract expires after the 2027-28 season.
When Curry’s Warriors visit Durant’s Rockets on Wednesday, the game will serve as a de facto 10-year anniversary of their 2016 partnership. Curry’s Warriors still dream of another deep playoff run, and Durant’s Rockets have assembled enough young talent around him to chase their own. The end is approaching for these former teammates, but it is not yet in sight.