Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry avoided a serious injury during an open practice at Chase Center, tweaking his right ankle on a noncontact play just days before the team opens its regular-season schedule against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The annual open practice at Chase Center shifted from a festive exhibition to a tense afternoon when the 38-year-old superstar went down during a scrimmage. Midway through a light session in front of thousands of fans, Curry began to make a move on guard De’Anthony Melton near the top of the key. His sneakers squeaked, his right foot skidded, and his leg appeared to buckle as he tried to stop abruptly without any defensive contact.
Frustrated, Curry bounced the ball hard against the hardwood, tossed it away, and limped off the court. He spent a brief moment trying to walk off the discomfort near the bench before heading straight to the locker room for the duration of the scrimmage, leaving the arena in a collective silence.
Steve Kerr Confirms Curry is Fine and On Track for the Lakers Opener
Initial fears centered on whether Curry had aggravated the right knee injury that sidelined him for 27 straight games late last season. Those worries subsided when head coach Steve Kerr addressed reporters after the session and confirmed the issue was isolated to the ankle.
Steph Curry practiced fully today and Steve Kerr says he’ll play in Wednesday’s season opener against the Lakers in LA @NBCSWarriors pic.twitter.com/ex3i0VzLrT
— https://x.com/DaltonJ_Johnson/status/2112255318571041130
He’s fine. I went and talked to him after he went downstairs, and I went into the training room.
Steve Kerr, Warriors Head Coach
Kerr admitted that his heart skipped a beat when he saw his franchise player limping down the hallway. By Monday, however, those concerns cleared entirely when Kerr confirmed that Curry participated in a full practice and remains available for the season opener.
Teammates React and the Roster Depth is Tested
Teammate Gui Santos acknowledged the immediate panic on the floor when Curry went down, though his confidence in the guard’s resilience tempered the worry.
Of course we were scared, but you know that he’s Steph. He’s tough.
Gui Santos, Warriors Forward
The health scare highlights the fragile state of Golden State’s rotation heading into the 2026-27 campaign. The team is already managing several significant absences as they prepare to visit the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Jimmy Butler continues his recovery from a torn ACL, Moses Moody remains sidelined with a leg injury, and Kristaps Porziņģis has missed three weeks due to an illness. In addition, reserve center Charles Bassey sat out the open practice with right knee tendinitis, leaving his status day-to-day.
Workload Management for an 18th NBA Season
Curry is entering his 18th season in the league, having signed a two-year, $116 million contract extension last month. Last season, he averaged 26.6 points and 4.7 assists per game but was limited to 43 appearances as the Warriors finished 37-45 and missed the playoffs.
To preserve his availability across the grueling schedule, the coaching staff intentionally limited his preseason workload to roughly 18 minutes per game. Kerr has stated that the franchise will selectively rest veterans throughout the year to protect against major absences, with Curry setting a personal target to play at least 65 games.
Looking toward a potential turnaround, a best-case scenario for Golden State could see the veteran core stay healthy enough to secure 45 wins and claim the 7th or 8th seed in the Western Conference. Former general manager Bob Myers previously noted the unique nature of Curry’s historical ankle history, which included right-ankle surgeries in May 2011 and April 2012 following repeated sprains. Despite those past hurdles and the recent scare at Chase Center, ESPN NBA insider Anthony Slater reported that there does not appear to be any lingering concern about the superstar guard as tip-off approaches.