Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter of all-time, walked off the floor Wednesday, Nov. 11 during a game against the Houston Rockets, clearly grimacing. Curry, who appeared to be favoring his right side, then walked to the locker room, with a trainer following. The Golden State Warriors announced minutes into the second quarter that Curry would not return for the rest of the game with right abdominal soreness.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game that Curry said he “tweaked something in his abdominal area,” which Curry told his longtime coach he had never done before. Kerr said Curry left the arena to get an MRI.
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“Concern is high but I have no idea the extent of the injury,” Kerr said.
So, what happens now?
This is stating the obvious, but it will depend on the severity.
While Curry was in clear discomfort when he left the floor, he did try to tough it out for a few possessions. That alone is not enough of an indicator to provide a tangible assessment, but it could hint to the degree of severity.
Either way, abdominal or oblique injuries can be complicated. Because they are part of the core muscles, many basic athletic movements can become painful.
They can also take time to heal, especially if there’s a muscle tear. Magic forward Paolo Banchero, for example, missed 34 games during the 2024-25 season with a torn oblique. If it ends up being a strain, however, any Curry absence would undoubtedly be far shorter.
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Signature shoes, rare colorways and player exclusives help NBA stars stand out this season. Take a look at some of the coolest sneakers being worn around the league.
A close up of the Li-Ning sneakers worn by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during their game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on October 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
1 / 25
See the coolest sneakers of the NBA season
Signature shoes, rare colorways and player exclusives help NBA stars stand out this season. Take a look at some of the coolest sneakers being worn around the league.
A close up of the Li-Ning sneakers worn by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during their game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on October 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
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A close up of the Nike sneakers worn by Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half of their game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
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A detailed view of of the shoes worn by Jaylen Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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A detailed view of shoes on guard Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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A detailed view of LeBron James’ of the Philadelphia 76ers shoes during the first quarter of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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The shoes of Yang Hansen of the Portland Trail Blazers are seen during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center on October 21, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
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The shoes of Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns are seen during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on October 21, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
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The shoes of Ja Morant of the Portland Trail Blazers are seen during the first half against the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center on October 21, 2026 in Portland, Oregon.
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Detail of the Skechers sneakers worn by Julius Randle of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center on October 21, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
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A detailed view of the shoes of Keaton Wagler of the Los Angeles Clippers before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome on October 21, 2026 in Inglewood, California.
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A detailed view of Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks shoes prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on October 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
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A detailed view of Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks shoes prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on October 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
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A detailed view of LeBron James of the Philadelphia 76ers shoes during the third quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 20, 2026 in New York City.
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Shoes worn by Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on October 20, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
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A close up of the sneakers worn by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during the second half of their preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center on October 16, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
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A close up of the sneakers worn by Yaxel Lendeborg of the Golden State Warriors during the first half of their preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center on October 16, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
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A close up of the sneakers worn by Ja Morant of the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half of their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 16, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
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A detailed view of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoes during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on October 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
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A detailed view of the KD19 shoes worn by Quadir Copeland of the Houston Rockets during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center on October 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
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Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons shoes during a pre season game against the Phoenix Suns at Little Caesars Arena on October 05, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
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Regardless, if Curry is forced to miss time, the Warriors will face the impossible problem of making up for the loss of a player who’s irreplaceable.
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Curry is playing at an MVP-caliber level, and Golden State simply does not have any options who come close. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has been sensational in his first month in the NBA, and surely he will be forced to take on more offensive responsibility. Same goes for starting guard Brandin Podziemski, though to a lesser extent.
What the Warriors won’t be able to replace is Curry’s perimeter shooting and the way that opens up space on the floor. Curry is the best off-ball player in the NBA and tirelessly bounds around the floor, looking for small gaps. Those alone are enough for him to get shots off.
And, considering he entered the night making field goals at 50.3% and 3-pointers at 45.7%, that efficiency will be sorely missed.
The Warriors haven’t issued an update on Jimmy Butler’s status, but if Curry is forced to miss extended time, that could potentially put some pressure on Butler to lead the team as soon as he returns, should the timing coincide.
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Either way, if Curry misses extended time, it’s tough to see Golden State remaining as competitive as it has been to start the season.
