Eternal Flame: At 37, Stephen Curry Drops 52 on Memphis — Third-Most Points Ever by a Player 37+ , Trailing Only LeBron (56) and Kobe (60)

# Eternal Flame: At 37, Stephen Curry Drops 52 on Memphis — Third-Most Points Ever by a Player 37+ , Trailing Only LeBron (56) and Kobe (60)

 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — On April 1, 2025, in a game that felt like a time machine set to “prime,” **Stephen Curry** reminded the basketball world that gravity — and Father Time — still don’t apply to him. The 37-year-old Golden State Warriors superstar erupted for **52 points**, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals, and a blistering **12 three-pointers** on 20 attempts, carrying the Warriors to a pivotal 134-125 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. The win vaulted Golden State (44-31) past Memphis (44-32) into the Western Conference’s No. 5 seed, securing the head-to-head tiebreaker and keeping them out of the dreaded Play-In Tournament with just a handful of games remaining.

 

But the scoreboard only told part of the story. Curry’s 52 points marked the **third-highest scoring output by any player aged 37 or older** in NBA history — trailing only LeBron James’ 56 (at age 37 in 2022) and Kobe Bryant’s iconic 60-point farewell (at age 37 in 2016). It was Curry’s fourth career 50-point game after turning 35, more than any other player ever, and his second 50-burger of the 2024-25 season (following a 56-point explosion against Orlando in February).

 

“I forgot about that last game here,” Curry laughed postgame, referencing a December disaster where he went 0-for-7 in a 51-point Warriors loss — their worst defeat of the season. “Tonight was just about how big this game was for seeding. The shots were falling early, and the guys kept finding me.”

 

Falling? They were raining. Curry torched Memphis from the opening tip, scoring 32 points in the first half alone (8-of-10 from three) — tying LeBron James for the third-most 30-point halves in the play-by-play era. He became the oldest player ever to post 30/5/5 in a single half and the first in history to record 50+ points, 10+ threes, and 5+ steals in one game.

 

The Grizzlies threw everything at him: traps, hedges, Jaylen Wells picking him up 94 feet from the basket. Nothing worked. Curry finished 16-of-31 from the field, 12-of-20 from deep, and a perfect 8-of-8 from the line. He also passed Jerry West for 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, adding another feather to a résumé already overflowing.

 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who has witnessed hundreds of Curry masterclasses, was still awestruck. “The guy is 37 years old,” Kerr marveled. “Fifty-two points with people draped all over him all game long. The conditioning. The skill. The audacity.”

 

Jimmy Butler, acquired mid-season from Miami and the perfect veteran complement, added 27 points. Draymond Green posted a triple-double (13-10-12), but this was unequivocally the Steph Show. When Ja Morant (36 points) cut the lead to five late, Curry answered with a step-back triple that essentially iced it.

 

For Curry, now in his 16th season, the performance was vindication after a pelvic contusion sidelined him for nearly two weeks in March. Since returning, he’s looked rejuvenated — averaging over 25 points on elite efficiency post-injury. More importantly, it silenced any lingering whispers that the Baby-Faced Assassin was finally slowing down.

 

Context makes the feat even more staggering. Only two players 37+ have ever scored more in a single game:

 

1. **LeBron James** – 56 points (March 3, 2022, age 37 vs. Toronto)

2. **Kobe Bryant** – 60 points (April 13, 2016, age 37 vs. Utah – final game)

3. **Stephen Curry** – 52 points (April 1, 2025, age 37 vs. Memphis)

 

Next on the list? Michael Jordan’s 51 at age 38 (and again at 39 by Jamal Crawford). No one else has cracked 50 after turning 37. Curry now owns the most 50-point games (4) by any player post-35, surpassing Kobe, MJ, and everyone else.

 

The historical company is fitting. Like Kobe’s 60-point swan song and LeBron’s late-career dominance, Curry’s explosion felt generational — a passing of the torch from one ageless wonder to another. Social media erupted: “Steph at 37 dropping 52 like it’s 2016,” one viral post read. “GOAT shooter refusing to age.”

 

For the Warriors, the win was massive. Their 19-5 record since the Butler trade has transformed them from Play-In afterthoughts to legitimate contenders avoiding that bracket entirely. With home-court potential in the first round now in sight, Golden State looks dangerous — especially when their chef is cooking at historic levels.

 

Curry, ever humble, deflected praise to his teammates and the moment. “We needed this one bad,” he said. “Playoff seeding, tiebreaker — all of it. Glad we got it done.”

 

But the basketball world knows what it witnessed: a 37-year-old defying every conventional rule of athletic decline, joining LeBron and Kobe in a stratosphere reserved for the immortals. The greatest shooter ever isn’t just still here — he’s still rewriting what “old” looks like in the NBA.

 

As the Warriors head into the season’s final stretch, one thing is clear: Father Time might eventually catch Stephen Curry. Just not tonight.

 

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