Steph Curry Weighs In on NBA Tanking: “Let’s Focus on the Positives”
Steph Curry has never been one to shy away from the big-picture conversations in the NBA, and during All-Star Weekend media availability, he took a moment to address one of the league’s more controversial topics: tanking.
For years, tanking has been a shadow looming over the NBA’s competitive balance. When postseason hopes fade, some teams pivot to a long-term strategy - one that involves losing games to improve their position in the draft lottery. Whether it’s sitting healthy players, shutting down stars for the season, or trading away productive veterans, the goal is often the same: maximize losses, increase lottery odds, and hope to land a franchise-changing prospect.
But how big of a problem is it, really? According to Curry, it might not be as dire as some make it out to be.
“Is it really that big of a problem? We feel like there’s a lot of competition,” Curry told reporters.
“It’s something I’m sure every year, the NBA wants to address. It’s why the play-in tournament exists.”
Curry’s point about the play-in tournament is key. The league introduced it in part to combat tanking by keeping more teams in the playoff hunt deeper into the season. With seeds 7 through 10 now battling for postseason spots, there’s more incentive to stay competitive - and less justification for waving the white flag in March.
“Things evolve. Problems arise, and everyone wants to shine a spotlight on all the negatives in the league,” Curry continued. “But let’s focus on the positives of how great the competition is at the top.”
That’s classic Curry - acknowledging the issue without ignoring the strides the league has made. And from his vantage point, there’s still plenty of meaningful basketball being played.
“There still is relevancy regular season-wise of the seeding and playoff chase,” he said. “I know there’s conversations around how many games we’re playing - that’s probably where I would focus more of the attention.”
He’s not wrong. The grind of the 82-game season has long been a topic of discussion, and load management - sometimes conflated with tanking - is often more about player health than draft positioning.
“Let’s not forget the league is in a great place overall in terms of the attention, the skill level, the global reach, all of that stuff,” Curry added. “Every year, you’ll address the issues. I don’t have the answers though.”
And that’s the tricky part - there are no easy answers. While fans can point to moments like a team benching its top scorer in the fourth quarter or shutting down a rising star with vague injury reports, proving intent is a whole different game. Teams can lean on injury management, development priorities, or even rest strategies as justifiable reasons for their decisions.
That’s the challenge the NBA faces. Tanking isn’t always as clear-cut as it seems.
It’s not like a player stepping out of bounds or a coach calling a timeout - it’s a strategic gray area. And while fans might feel frustrated watching a team punt on a season, the league can’t exactly legislate intent.
Sure, the league has moved swiftly in the past on issues like uniform policies - remember the ban on ninja-style headbands in 2019? - but tanking is a different beast. You can’t slap a rulebook definition on “trying to lose.” It’s nuanced, subjective, and often hidden beneath layers of plausible deniability.
So where does that leave the NBA?
For now, it’s a balancing act. The league continues to incentivize competition through mechanisms like the play-in, and it’s clear they’re monitoring the situation.
But unless tanking becomes more blatant - or the league finds a way to clearly define and penalize it - it’ll likely remain a judgment call. Fines might be issued, but sweeping reform?
That’s a tougher sell.
Curry’s perspective is a valuable one. He’s been at the heart of a franchise that’s prioritized winning for over a decade. And while he acknowledges the imperfections, he’s also reminding us that the NBA is thriving in a lot of ways - from the talent on the court to the global reach of the game.
Tanking might still be part of the conversation. But for now, it’s just one thread in a much larger, and still very compelling, NBA tapestry.