December 15, 2025
At 37, Stephen Curry isn’t just aging gracefully—he’s rewriting the very definition of scoring longevity in the NBA, eclipsing a record held by the legendary Michael Jordan.
In a performance that blended historic significance with contemporary brilliance, Golden State Warriors’ cornerstone Stephen Curry added another monumental line to his Hall of Fame résumé. On December 14, 2025, Curry scored 48 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, marking the 45th time he has scored 40 or more points since turning 30. This moved him past Michael Jordan (44 such games) for the most 40-point games by any player after age 30 in NBA history.
This milestone is far more than a statistical footnote; it’s a testament to a revolutionary career arc. While Jordan’s post-30 dominance was built on mid-range mastery and athletic force, Curry’s is a product of unprecedented shooting range, elite conditioning, and an offensive system he helped invent. Jordan’s 44 games came across his final seven seasons (ages 30-36, excluding his Wizards return). Curry, at 37 and in his 16th season, is achieving this in an era with more sophisticated defensive schemes specifically designed to stop him.
The record-setting night was a masterclass in efficiency. Curry connected on a season-high 12 three-pointers, coming agonizingly close to his own NBA record of 14. This highlights the core difference in *how* he accumulates these high-scoring games: a staggering proportion come from beyond the arc, stretching defenses in ways Jordan never had to. Despite Curry’s heroics, the Warriors fell to the Trail Blazers 136-131, a recurring theme this season that underscores his incredible individual burden.
This record follows another Jordan benchmark Curry recently toppled. Just two days prior, on December 12, he passed His Airness for the most 35-point games after age 30, scoring 39 in a loss to Minnesota. The back-to-back records paint a clear picture: Stephen Curry is the most potent and consistent scoring force the league has ever seen in the latter stages of a career.
Contextualizing Greatness: The All-Time Landscape
Curry’s 75 total 40-point games in his career (regular season) place him 9th on the all-time list, a realm dominated by legendary volume scorers. The leader remains Wilt Chamberlain (271), whose era and role were incomparably different. What makes Curry’s climb remarkable is that he is not a high-usage, ball-dominant scorer in the traditional mold. His explosions often come within the flow of the Warriors’ motion offense, making his efficiency—48.4% from the field and 41.2% from three this season, despite high defensive attention—even more astounding.
A Night of Dual History: Draymond Green’s Defensive Milestone
Curry wasn’t the only Warrior etching his name in the franchise annals. Teammate Draymond Green recorded a steal to become just the third player in Warriors history to reach 1,200 career steals with the team. He now sits behind Chris Mullin (1,360) and the surprising franchise leader: Stephen Curry himself (1,574). This fact is often overlooked—Curry isn’t just a generational shooter; he’s also an intelligent, opportunistic defender who holds the franchise steals record, adding a crucial layer to his all-around impact.
The Burden of Legacy on a Shifting Team
These historic individual achievements arrive at a complex time for the Warriors. The team’s 13-14 record, and the fact that Curry’s last two record-breaking nights resulted in losses, highlights a stark reality. At 37, Curry is performing at an MVP-caliber level (averaging 29.6 points per game), but the supporting cast and team dynamics have shifted. He has missed nine games this season, and the Warriors’ struggle to win without him underscores both his irreplaceable value and the immense challenge of carrying a franchise deep into his late 30s.
The Warriors now look ahead to a back-to-back set against the Phoenix Suns. Each game will be a test of whether Curry’s historic individual production can translate into crucial wins for a team fighting to stay in the playoff picture.
ANALYSIS: Stephen Curry surpassing Michael Jordan in any scoring category is a seismic event in basketball history. It forces a reevaluation of longevity and peak performance. Jordan was the unparalleled force of his time, but Curry’s sustained excellence, built on a skill set less susceptible to athletic decline, has created a new paradigm for how a superstar can age. He hasn’t just passed Jordan; he has charted an entirely different path to late-career dominance.
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