Stephen Curry was limited to just 43 games last season due to his knee injury. Then his walking gait clip from his China trip raised fresh concerns. It seems that concerns are not limited just to fans but have also reached the Golden State Warriors’ locker room.
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As the team practiced in Hawaii, the 4-time NBA champion sat down for an interview with Larry Beil. The elephant in the room had to be addressed immediately. Stephen Curry was sitting with one ice bag wrapped around his knees. However, he said it’s nothing to worry about.
“All maintenance,” Curry said to ABC7. “I think there’s a running joke in the locker room, like I think five bags after practice means you should retire. I’m only at two, so we’re good. We’re good. I got plenty to work with.”
What was initially expected to be a one-week absence eventually kept him out for 27 straight games. The setback was tied to right knee bone bruising and patellofemoral pain. This issue added to a season in which he missed 39 games overall because of his right knee. The Warriors felt the impact of his prolonged absence.
Golden State went 13–26 without him and finished the 2025–26 regular season at 37–45, landing 10th in the Western Conference. Before the injury troubles disrupted his season, he averaged 27.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. He has also made it clear that managing his body is now part of the job.
Stephen Curry also played down the concerns two weeks ago: “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.”
The four-time NBA champion would reiterate the sentiment during his recent sit-down in Hawaii.
“It’s a concern, but it’s something that, now that I know what it is. You can kind of get ahead of it and manage it in a way that allows me to do. What I need to do on the court, be available for my team but have all the preparations to make sure that it’s able to recover.
“And I’m able to be out there most nights. So, it’s a new normal. I’m not afraid of saying that because I kind of know what I’m dealing with, and just requires me to approach things a little differently but still play.”
The concern grew after a video from Stephen Curry’s China tour showed him limping. It quickly surpassed six million views, putting his knee back under the microscope.
That added to questions that had already surfaced earlier in September, when Monte Poole reported that the issue was something the Warriors could not simply overlook.
“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.”
The locker room may joke about the concern surrounding him, but his teammates don’t seem bothered by it. Gary Payton II told the San Francisco Chronicle that even when Curry appeared to have a slight limp, he saw no reason for alarm.
“When he had his little limp? He’s just having a hard day! Workout day. It’s nothing crazy.” Payton then put the situation into three simple words: “It’s just Steph.”
Even the Warriors are not worried about the Stephen Curry injury. They offered him a two-year $116 million extension, keeping that championship window open. The 38-year-old took part in the training camp scrimmage. He was part of Golden State’s blue group.
The lineup featured Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Al Horford and Draymond Green sharing the floor. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr later confirmed that the group would start against the Clippers on Sunday. Another piece of good news for the fans was that Curry’s knee did not trouble him as he found his rhythm, knocking down a few triples.