Only three years before Stephen Curry was named MVP and won a Larry O’Brien Trophy, he was known nearly as much for balky ankles as shooting prowess.
The Golden State Warriors guard had surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right ankle in May 2011, a procedure that led to more problems than any short- or long-term solution. A sprain of the same ankle during Golden State’s exhibition slate the following autumn was the first in a series of similar maladies that marred what should have been the season that spurred him to stardom. Curry played just 23 total games in 2011-2012, subsequently signing a now infamous four-year, $44 million extension with the Warriors that was far more indicative of future injury risk than expected performance to come.
Through years of commitment to a unique strength program dedicated to lessening the load on his fragile feet, Curry has put those issues firmly in the rearview mirror. Golden State fans still gasp whenever he tweaks an ankle, but have no recent reason to fret – their hero has played at least 78 games in each of the past three seasons.
Curry, though, obviously still works very hard to ensure the injuries that briefly derailed his career is a thing of the past. And as his three-year-old daughter, Riley, approaches the prime of toddlerhood, he’s already taking precautions to make sure the fate for which he once seemed destined won’t ever be hers.
Better safe than sorry, right?
[Via Stephen Curry] [Via ESPN]
