Why anyone who is against Steph Curry's Warriors return doesn't understand him originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – As Stephen Curry was spending his days rehabbing in the wake of his season-altering runner’s knee diagnosis, one goal stayed atop his mind. Get right and return to the Warriors while the season still has an iota of consequence.
It does, and Curry is expected to make his highly anticipated return Sunday night against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center.
“It’s pretty simple. He’s healthy,” coach Steve Kerr said Saturday after practice. “If you’re healthy, you play. You have a lot to play for. We’re going to be in to play-in (tournament). Get a chance to get to the playoffs. Why else do we do this?”
But as Curry was approaching the late stages of rehab and the Warriors were falling apart like soggy cardboard, debate raged over the benefit of his return: Should Steph come back to a team that can only dream of a robust playoff run?
Only if he is fully healthy. Only if he has a strong desire to play. Not unless he believes there is significance in achieving goals that matter to him.
Those in the “no” camp, who have given up on the season and concluded Curry should embrace self-preservation and wrap his right knee in ice until September, might not understand that he is repulsed by the idea of surrender.
For Curry, getting on the court when healthy is as natural as brushing his teeth.
“I love playing basketball,” said Curry, who last appeared in a game on Jan. 30. “That’s what I get paid to do. If I’m healthy enough to play and it’s safe to go out there and test it in live action, all the work that I put in will hopefully pay off.
“Our season has been different than we expected. But the fact that we know there is something to still play for gives all of us a lot of confidence down the stretch to try to make something out of it. I want to be a part of that.”
This season has been different than expected is an understatement. After bumbling through the first two months, they finally found their rhythm, going 12-4 over a 16-game stretch as the calendar turned to 2026. They were generating momentum when disaster struck. Jimmy Butler III, Robin to Curry’s Batman, went down with a season-ending torn right ACL. The forlorn look that crept across Curry’s face in that instant spoke volumes. It was as if he had seen the entire season flash before his eyes.
Golden State lost three of its next five games and was hit with another disaster in the sixth, when Curry limped off the court and missed the next 27 games.
The Warriors are 11-21 since Butler was sidelined, 9-18 since he was joined by Curry. Smacked with a spate of other aches and injuries, they descended from eighth place to ninth and then to 10th in the Western Conference. That’s enough to earn the final berth in the NBA play-in tournament, the last chair in the waiting room to the playoffs.
That’s all they have, and it’s enough for Curry.
Curry didn’t give up as a teenager when college basketball’s power conferences ignored him. He waved no white flag when his ankles tried to derail his NBA career. He didn’t slink away because his frame wasn’t built to prosper in the best league on the planet. He turned the doubters into believers, the naysayers into cheerleaders.
You think the Warriors are done? Maybe they are. You think Curry is wasting his time and risking further harm? He’s been there, heard that and still is the league’s only unanimous MVP and basketball’s latest change agent.
Your danger is his mountain to climb. Outside skepticism is fuel for his heart.
“What we’re trying to do (is) be the best team for that first play-in game,” Curry said. “Whoever we play, whether it’s Portland or the Clippers, to be able to embrace that challenge, win one game and then have to go do it again. That’s pretty straightforward.”
Kerr knows this but adds another element to support the player behind his fabulous coaching record, while also buttressing his own side of the debate.
“Steph is the most joyful athlete I’ve ever seen,” Kerr said, clearing his throat. “He loves to play, loves to compete, loves to work. And that joy is infectious. It’s infectious not only with his teammates, but with our fans. The question about why Steph is coming back cuts to the core of what our business is about. We want our fans to be really excited to come watch beautiful basketball. And nobody represents that more than Steph.
“He wouldn’t be coming back if he wasn’t healthy. But he’s healthy, so he’s going to play. We want to bring joy to (Chase Center). We want to bring joy to our fans. And that’s what this is about. It’s about winning, yes, but it’s about people really enjoying coming to the building and watching our team play. It’s the most important thing, and they go hand in hand.
“These last 12 years have really shown that we’ve been able to play a really entertaining style and win championships. Frankly, Steph is responsible for more of that than anyone. One of the greatest players of all time, but he’s the greatest face of a franchise in any sport that I’ve ever seen.”
Kerr rests his case. Curry already made his case, testifying on his own behalf. He wants to ride. He needs to ride. Let him.
