Recently, a video from Stephen Curry’s China tour limping gained over six million views. It had the Warriors fans wondering if something was wrong as it came after reports that the knee injury issues needed to “be managed.” But while the internet saw a warning sign, his longtime trainer saw something far less alarming.

The Warriors’ superstar and Brandon Payne have been together since the summer of 2011. At the time, Curry was a young guard whose career had already been threatened by severe, recurring ankle injuries. Payne came in to help solve the problem, and their partnership eventually grew far beyond injury prevention. Now, more than 15 years later, Payne is still one of the people Curry trusts most with his body. That makes his reaction to a viral video from China particularly interesting.

Dismissing the concern, first the trainer gave advice to the twenty-five-year-old San Francisco Chronicle reporter. “Young man,” Payne said, “enjoy it while you have it. Because in a few years, every morning you get out of bed – that’s how you’re going to look when you get out of bed, whether you like it or not.”

Then there was the direct addressal of the Stephen Curry video. “I’ll put it to you this way,” Payne said. “I’ll challenge anybody, over the age of 30, to get on a plane, and leave San Francisco, and fly to China, get off that plane, and then ride around in a car for a while, then get out of that car and walk around, and see how they’re looking. It would probably be pretty similar.”

While the trainer dismissed the concerns, the panic over Stephen Curry’s injury was a natural reaction. Last season, he was supposed to miss just one week of action, but it turned into 27 games on the sidelines. In early September, Monte Poole also reported that the knee issue can’t be ignored.

“From what I’ve been told, it can be managed, but it has to be managed, and that’s a new thing for Steph. People always say he is the most conditioned guy in the league, and now he has to manage a knee.”

Just like trainer Payne, Curry’s teammates aren’t treating the video like a major warning sign either. Gary Payton II also played down the situation when speaking with the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday.

“When he had his little limp? He’s just having a hard day! Workout day. It’s nothing crazy.” Then he summed it up in three words.

“It’s just Steph.”

Stephen Curry sets the record straight with his injury concerns

Two weeks after the video was captured, the four-time NBA champion appeared at a media scrum at an Eat. Learn. Play foundation event at Oakland’s Madison Park Primary and spoke about the concerns. The knee, still, is “top of mind,” as Curry said.

“Obviously, (it) should be,” Curry told reporters. “But anybody at this age, and amount of miles, you’re managing something. So, it’s kind of part of the longevity aspect of this. And I’m not afraid of it. I know what I need to do to, again, prepare myself to be ready to play.

“And the optimism of me doing what I need to do out there on the court is still there,” he continued. “I should hopefully look like myself, come opening night.”

Still, the timing of the concern is notable, as Stephen Curry has already acknowledged that the final chapter of his career is approaching. That doesn’t mean he is preparing to retire anytime soon. Quite the opposite.

Stephen Curry recently explained that he sees the next two years as an opportunity to make the most of whatever time remains.

“No. No. There’s a sense of urgency to capitalize on these next two years and see where it takes you. That’s kind of the strategy right now.”

The Warriors have responded by making a major commitment of their own. Stephen Curry agreed to a two-year, $116 million extension with Golden State, keeping him with the franchise beyond his current deal.

He had been eligible for an extension worth up to $136.7 million, so he accepted roughly $20.7 million less than the maximum available amount.

The extension again reduces the concerns. Stephen Curry knows his body requires more management than it did in 2011. Payne knows it better than almost anyone. And after more than a decade together, neither is labeling a difficult morning a crisis.