The NBA All-Star game has remained one of the most anticipated events on the sports calendar. Despite constant criticism of the game’s competitiveness and intensity, fans look forward to the extravaganza featuring the best the league has to offer.
This season, however, one key attraction of the event won’t be available to the fanbase. Two-time league MVP, the greatest shooter of all-time, and one of the greatest players ever, Stephen Curry, isn’t going to participate in the festivities. Here’s what’s keeping him out of the action.
Why Is Stephen Curry Not Playing in the All-Star Game?
A new format to counteract the fatigue with the All-Star game led to the formation of three rosters, split between international players and U.S.-born athletes. Curry was one of the biggest names available in that draw, joining the USA Stripes roster.
However, in the days leading up to the marquee exhibition, it became clear that the Golden State Warriors superstar would not be suiting up for the showcase. Less than a month away from his 38th birthday, age is certainly starting to catch up to the second-generation superstar.
While his productivity on the court has remained stellar even as he gets older, the effects have started to show in his availability, with various injuries sidelining him throughout the season.
This year, for instance, he has suited up in just 39 of the Warriors’ 54 games played. His averages, 27.2 points on 46.8% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range, have remained excellent, earning him the All-Star nod, but the games missed have become a legitimate source of concern.
A sore knee that kept him out for the final five games before the All-Star break continues to linger over him, and the hope has to be that he can return after the weekend for the remaining season in hopes of a possible playoff run for Golden State.
Head coach Steve Kerr explained, “It’s really kind of a day-to-day thing, so it’s hard to predict for sure whether he’ll be playing in that first game after the break but that’s definitely the hope, and if he is, if he can get through everything this week, then that puts him on pace to be playing.”
So far this year, he’s already missed time with an illness, a quadriceps contusion, a sore right ankle, and a sprained left ankle. Without him, the Warriors have gone 5-10, even worse than their 29-26 record that has them as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
