Stephen Curry says he's rested. He managed to find some downtime in the offseason.
But when you ask how he managed it, he shakes his head.
"Every year, [the offseason] seems to get busier," the six-year NBA vet says. "But obviously, if you add on the success we've had this year on the court, there are a lot of opportunities that open up."
The latest and greatest of those opportunities: Flying to Martha's Vineyard for a round of golf with President Barack Obama. But there are business commitments, too -- endorsement deals to be fulfilled, various offers that crop up when you win both the league's MVP award and an NBA championship in the same year.
And that all ignores perhaps the most pressing challenge of all: The arrival of Curry Baby No. 2, just weeks after the NBA Finals.
Still, Curry says he feels refreshed. He's started up workouts to prepare for the upcoming NBA season, and he's quick to point out that training camp starts next month.
On Wednesday, Curry was up bright and early to host another business event: "The Degree Driving Range with Stephen Curry." During the function in San Francisco, Curry -- who has been golfing since age 12 -- walked up and down the driving range dispensing tips and having a PGA pro break down his own swing.
Fun as those events can be, they're also a big-time commitment for athletes, and the NBA regular season doesn't allow much time for extra-curricular business activities. That means the offseason is often where players go to catch up on their non-basketball commitments, using their months off to handle the business side of being a professional athlete.
And Curry's list of obligations run long: In addition to endorsement deals with Degree and Under Armour, the Golden State Warriors star also has contracts with Express, Muscle Milk, State Farm and JBL.
The Stephen Curry brand is as valuable as ever right now: His jersey ranked second in the NBA behind LeBron James in the regular-season, and by some measures it's been the top overall seller since January. Since the start of the playoffs, he's sold jerseys in all 50 states.
Amid the pinnacle of his success and popularity, Curry also understands that today's opportunities won't be around forever. Winning a Most Valuable Player Award or an NBA championship are rare feats on their own. Achieving both in the same year is rare -- only 10 players have ever done it.
And while Curry has plenty of miles left in his tank, he's old enough that thoughts of his post-basketball life are starting to creep into his mind.
"A lot of guys who are new to the league, and I'm one of them, the first five or six years, there's nothing you're thinking about other than basketball. You want to establish yourself," Curry says. "As you get over the hump and into the later parts of your career you start to think about, 'What are the things you might want to get into?'"
As far as his NBA superstardom goes, Curry seems like a fresh face: A boyish sharpshooter taking the spotlight from aggressive alpha males like LeBron and Kobe Bryant.
But after four seasons playing college ball at Davidson, and a promising-but-gradual rise in the NBA, it's easy to forget that Curry is 27 -- in his physical prime, but just three years younger than LeBron, who has been the face of the NBA for more than a decade.
You can see a parallel between LeBron's and Curry's non-basketball trajectories: The Cavs star is working to build his own media empire, starting with his co-starring role in the summer blockbuster "Trainwreck" while also inking a deal with Warner Brothers to create a wide range of media content, possibly including a "Space Jam" sequel.
Curry, meanwhile, is trying his hand at the Bay Area's biggest industry. He's currently working to develop a social media app that would facilitate better engagement between sports stars, celebrities, and their fans.
"That's the kind of stuff I've started to get my hands into a little more," says Curry, who feels that current social networks like Facebook and Twitter have limitations when it comes to managing that celebrity-fan relationship. "As an athlete in that space, I think there's ways to make it better."
While Curry wouldn't share the name of the app, he's hopeful that the finished product -- which he is developing with his former Davidson roommate -- will be ready for release within the next year.
But there are limitations to what Curry can do once NBA training camp starts. Much like his golf game, his endorsement deals and business ventures take a back seat for nine months every year.
"You don't want these engagements and things to take away from your preparation for a season," he says. But Curry understands that basketball won't be around forever -- and the doors open today could close anytime.
"You do have to feel a sense of urgency ... to take advantage of the opportunities, the people that you're going to meet, the doors that basketball opens ... to set a good foundation for your post-basketball life."
And hopefully, you find a little time for some R&R. That's the blessing and burden for stars like Curry: when you're this big, there's no offseason.
