Stephen Curry ranks very high up on the list of the greatest NBA players of all time. As you might expect, Stephen Curry tops the list of the most injury-prone players in the NBA, as well.
His extensive and precise ankle injury history throws him at the top of the record. Little wonder people often google Steph Curry ankle injury.
Stephen Curry's father, Dell Curry, was a former NBA player. Steph, as he was popularly called, began his journey in 2009, and since then, his laurels have been copious. He received the award of the Best NBA Player ESPY Award in 2015 and 2021.
Moreover, he is also a 6-time all-star accompanied by 2 MVP awards. It is evident that his achievements speak for themselves. However, there was a time when his basketball career was in grave danger.
The Golden State Warriors’ point guard has faced plenty of injuries occurring similarly. However, impressively, he never let his injuries jeopardize his future in basketball.
Ankle Injuries and Basketball
Ankle injuries are seemingly quickly recoverable in a short time. However, recurring ankle injuries may prove threatening to your career as a basketball player.
Naturally, while playing, many questions cross your mind, questions like, ‘Will it happen again?’ ‘How serious will it be?’ You try to fight those thoughts, but just a slight weakness or sprain in your ankle, and it all comes rushing back.
In basketball, ankles play an essential role, and it is nearly impossible to play basketball with a bad ankle. In addition, even when you heal physically, you may not be prepared mentally to get back on the field. Let us look at the timeline of Stephen Curry’s ankle injuries.
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Timeline of Stephen Curry Ankle Injuries
2010
When Stephen Curry began his basketball career in 2009, he had a brilliant start. While showcasing stunning basketball skills, he played 80 games during the first year of his career.
In December 2010, he had his first ankle injury, and since then, ankle injuries have followed him like a black shadow.
2011
In 2011, Curry struggled so much with his injury. He injured his right ankle so many times that he had to get surgery to repair and strengthen the extremely torn ligaments at the end of the season.
2012
The 2012 season had a bad start when he had a sprain in his ankle. Due to this sprain, he nearly missed two weeks of the season.
He returned to the court in February, but disaster struck again in March. This series of unfortunate ankle injuries did not allow him to play any other basketball game of the season.
In April 2012, Curry went through another surgery to remove the scar tissues in the right ankle. He spent the summer in rehab, and then finally, with a set of restrictions, he joined the training camp. By this time, people had started referring to his ankles as “glass ankles.”
2013
Curry was fortunate that the Warriors hired Kyle Lyles as the Director of Performance. Lyles had been observing Curry since the start of his rookie contract, and he had a well-formulated plan to keep Curry on the court and propelled him to be the player he is today.
His new training sessions proved to be very fruitful. The new regime focused on building his strength, especially around his hips and core muscles which took off the pressure from his ankles.
The training was a complete success, and it gave him the ability to be an even better player than he was already. It also strengthened him mentally; he made quick moves without worrying about his subsequent ankle injury.
Even though he missed four games of the season, he put in all the hard work to get through the rest of the NBA season. After this training session, he only suffered ankle tweaks and nothing too severe.
2016
Luckily, Stephen managed to get through the season without any severe ankle injury. He excelled in almost every game he played, and he won the Teen Choice for Choice Male Athlete and Shorty Award for Best in Sports in 2016.
However, Steph again sprained his ankle in the first game and missed the next two games. Even then, he managed to push himself through the season’s finale.
2018
In this period, he only faced a few minor ankle injuries. However, other nagging injuries, such as a left groin strain, held him off a few games, but he quickly recovered and got back up to assist the Warriors.
Other Stephen Curry Injuries
Sprained Left MCL
Sprained left MCL was a relatively severe injury to his left knee. He suffered from a Grade 2 MCL sprain in a playoff series against the Houston Rockets, and it kept him off the court for almost two weeks.
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Groin Strain
The severity of the groin strain was moderate, which Curry suffered in the game with Milwaukee Bucks.
Much to his relief, his doctors examined his progress and deemed him fit for the next game.
Tailbone Injury
Stephen Curry’s remarkability and strength become even more staunch when you learn that he played a game through serious tailbone injuries. Although he missed five games due to the tailbone injury, he came back with a pretty good average of 37.3 points in games.
Stephen played with a hairline tailbone fracture during the last two months of the 2021 basketball season. Maybe he was experiencing a lot of pain, but he never expressed it. He marvelously went to the court and did the job.
Hand Injury
In a game against the Suns, Curry injured his left hand. He severely injured his left arm and suffered from nerve damage and a second metacarpal fracture which required surgery to heal.
His hand may have physically healed, but the nerve damage still lingers on. He reported that he feels a tingling sensation now and then, but he is on the road to the acceptance of his “new normal hand.”
Final Thoughts: Steph Curry's Ankle Injuries
Despite the ankle injury misfortunes that have followed him, he has managed to win multiple awards.
His most recent awards were the NAACP Image Award and Jackie Robinson Sports Award in 2021. He has played 762 games throughout his NBA career (thus far) and missed 58 out of 762 due to severe injuries.
It is challenging for a player to return after suffering severe injuries like Steph’s. Such injuries are not only painful but mentally frustrating as well.
Surprisingly, Curry has always made a phenomenal comeback. The continuous training and rehab made Stephen stronger than ever, and those injuries motivated him to win all the MVP awards and NBA championships. His sufferings shaped him into the future hall of fame player that he is now.
Undoubtedly, Steph’s injuries have never defined him or slowed him down. He is an inspiration for us that we can still pursue our dreams regardless of our challenges. The Steph Curry ankle injury story has proved that there is nothing we cannot do with hard work and determination.
