Stephen Curry has framed his decision to remain with the Golden State Warriors as a matter of responsibility to a franchise and community that have defined his entire NBA life.

The four-time NBA champion says he wants his career to end with the Warriors, not merely because Golden State is the only team he has represented, but because he feels a duty to honour what the team, its supporters and the Bay area have built together over the past 17 years.

“This is home,” Curry said after agreeing to a new two-year contract extension with the Warriors. “This is what we’ve built. This is a community that I’ve played in front of my entire career. Being able to finish the story the right way is a big part of what I can control.”

Curry, 38, entered the NBA as Golden State’s seventh overall pick in 2009. Since then, he has helped take the Warriors from a struggling franchise to one of the defining teams of the modern era, winning NBA titles in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022 while also collecting two most valuable player awards.

His latest agreement is worth a reported $116 million over two years and is designed to keep him in Golden State through the 2028-29 season. The extension begins after the 2026-27 campaign and includes a player option in its second year, leaving Curry positioned to complete 20 seasons with the franchise if he remains through the deal.

The financial details underline the player’s intent. Curry was reportedly eligible for an extension worth as much as $136 million, but accepted a deal below that figure. The move has been interpreted as an effort to preserve some flexibility for a Warriors team still trying to build another championship-calibre roster around its long-serving leader.

But Curry’s public explanation goes beyond the numbers.

“There’s a pride of representing the Bay, representing this franchise,” he said. “When I stepped foot here in 2009 and what we’ve all been able to accomplish — this isn’t just a me thing, this is a we — I want to do right by that.”

Curry has long expressed a desire to spend his entire career in Golden State. Earlier this month, he said he wanted to be “a lifer with Golden State,” while acknowledging that the franchise must remain ambitious during the final stretch of his playing career.

The Warriors now know where their most important player stands. Curry wants continuity, and he wants the team to compete.

“We still believe that we can be that team,” Curry said, referring to Golden State’s title hopes. “I think our challenge now is to reimagine what that looks like. We have a veteran team. We need health on our side.”

For Golden State, the extension provides certainty. For Curry, it offers the chance to shape the final act of a career that has already transformed the franchise.

He has made his choice. The next question for the Warriors is whether they can give their greatest player the ending he believes their shared story deserves.