In the current landscape of the NBA, we have become somewhat desensitized to the concept of the “aging superstar.” We watch LeBron James, well into his 40s, bully defenders with the same brute strength he possessed two decades ago. We watch Kevin Durant, pushing 38, shoot over defenders with a release point that remains untouchable. We have accepted that modern medicine, private jets, and hyperbaric chambers have extended the prime of the NBA athlete.

But in this acceptance, we have committed a grave error. We have lumped Stephen Curry into this same category, normalizing his greatness as just another product of the “longevity era.”

A new, deep-dive analysis into the 2026 NBA season reveals that this is a massive misconception. What Stephen Curry is doing at 37 years old is not just impressive; it is statistically and physically impossible. He is not merely surviving the test of time; he is sprinting past it, breaking a historical curse that has claimed every other small guard in the history of the sport.

The “Giant” Advantage

To understand the magnitude of Curry’s feat, we must first look at his peers. The video analysis highlights a crucial physical reality: longevity has traditionally been a game for giants.

Look at the list of players who have maintained elite scoring averages past the age of 35. You see Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7’2”). You see Karl Malone (6’9”). You see LeBron James (6’9”) and Kevin Durant (near 7-foot).

There is a biological reason for this. As athleticism wanes—as the first step slows and the vertical leap decreases—size remains eternal. You cannot teach height, and more importantly, you cannot lose height. A 7-footer who loses a step is still a 7-footer who can shoot over you. They can transition into “power” games, operating in the post or rising up over smaller defenders with minimal energy expenditure. They can “age gracefully” because their physical dimensions provide a permanent safety net.

Stephen Curry has no such safety net.

At 6’2” (on a good day) and possessing a frame that has never been described as imposing, Curry is, in the words of the analysis, “an NBA midget” relative to the titans he competes against. In the brutal history of the NBA, small guards are the first to perish. When their speed goes, their advantage goes. They get walled off. They get blocked. They fade into role players or retire. Allen Iverson, Isiah Thomas, Kemba Walker—the history books are filled with elite small guards who hit a wall in their early 30s.

The Grand Canyon Gap

The data presented for the 2026 season underscores just how unprecedented Curry’s current run is. When looking at the highest scoring averages in NBA history for players aged 35 and older, Steph Curry holds the top three spots for players under 6’3″.

But here is the kicker: the gap between him and the next guy is over 50 years wide.

The only other small guard to even appear on the radar is Lenny Wilkens, who averaged 20.5 points per game way back in 1973. Since then? Silence. For five decades, no small guard has been able to carry a franchise offensively into their late 30s. Until Steph.

“For guys like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, even Kawhi Leonard, their longevity, while great, is kind of normalized,” the analyst notes. “For someone like Steph in a small guard role, it is abnormal.”

Curry isn’t just beating the odds; he is rewriting the actuarial tables of professional basketball. He is averaging nearly 30 points per game in an era of athletic freaks, doing so without the ability to physically overpower a single opponent.

The Myth of “Old Man” Basketball

Perhaps the most shocking revelation from the 2026 data is the way Curry is achieving this. The common wisdom for aging players is to “slow the game down.” We see it with James Harden, Luka Dončić, and even LeBron. They control the pace, walk the ball up the court, and operate in bursts. It is intelligent energy conservation.

Tracking data confirms this. The “slowest” players in the NBA—literally the players who move at the slowest average speed during a game—are the veterans. Harden, LeBron, KD, and Anthony Davis top the list of players who pace themselves the most.

Then there is Stephen Curry.

Despite being the same age or older than these peers, Curry ranks 28th in the entire league for miles run per game. He ranks 13th in offensive mileage. While other legends are walking, Steph is running marathons.

This tears apart the narrative that Steph is just a “shooter.” A jump shot is stationary. What Steph does is violent, constant motion. He is fighting through screens, cutting baseline, relocating to the corner, and sprinting back to the wing. He is doing the work of a 22-year-old track star in the body of a 37-year-old veteran.

“The conditioning, the skill, the audacity,” the commentary marvels. “It’s just incredible to watch Steph at work.”

This is why his longevity is superior. He isn’t relying on a static trait like height. He is relying on a fleeting trait—cardiovascular endurance and speed—and somehow refusing to let it flee. To maintain that motor at 37 requires a level of behind-the-scenes discipline that arguably eclipses what we see from anyone else. He cannot afford to rest on the court, because his game is predicated on chaos and movement. If he stops moving, he stops being Steph.

The 40-Point Threshold

The results of this work ethic are tangible. In the 2026 season alone, Curry has already amassed four 40-point games. To put that in perspective, he is climbing a list populated almost entirely by Michael Jordan.

The video points out that in the history of the NBA, the list of players with the most 40-point games after turning 35 is short. It’s Jordan. It’s LeBron. It’s Steph. But again, Jordan and LeBron could punish you in the post. They could get to the free-throw line on physicality alone. Steph has to earn every single one of those 40 points through complex movement and precision skill.

He is currently on pace to finish first or second all-time in this category, solidifying his case not just as the greatest shooter, but as the greatest scorer relative to size in human history.

Conclusion: The Real Unicorn

We love to throw around the term “unicorn” for players like Victor Wembanyama or Chet Holmgren—freakish giants who can dribble. But perhaps the true unicorn is the normal-sized man who refuses to abide by the laws of physics and aging.

Stephen Curry’s 2026 season is a reminder that while skills like shooting never leave you, the engine required to get that shot off usually breaks down. That Steph’s engine is still revving at 100mph while his peers have shifted into cruise control is the ultimate testament to his greatness.

He is fighting a war against time on two fronts: the biological clock that slows everyone down, and the physiological reality that favors the tall. He is winning on both.

So, the next time you see LeBron James power through a lane or Kevin Durant shoot over a helpless defender, appreciate it. But when you see Steph Curry run his defender into the ground, sprint off a double screen, and drain a three while barely breathing heavy, understand that you are watching something far more unlikely. You are watching the Longevity King, standing 6’2″, looking down on history.