Stephen Curry’s résumé already reads like something out of a basketball fever dream: 12 All-Star selections, four championships, and a reputation as the greatest shooter the NBA has ever seen. But a new detail from Curry adds another layer to just how remarkable that run really was.
Curry said he was dealing with an eye issue during the 2018 season without fully understanding what was wrong. According to the Warriors star, then-Golden State general manager Bob Myers spotted him squinting on the bench while watching a broadcast and pushed him to get checked out.
“It was 2018, and I didn't know I was really dealing with crazy blurred vision or distorted images. It was just the way that I saw things, and we compensated around it,” Curry said to Natasha Dye of People.
The diagnosis explained a lot. Curry said he was told he had Keratoconus, a rare condition involving an irregular-shaped cornea that can cause blurriness and distorted images. He also said it’s progressive and can get worse over time, and that it’s irreversible if it goes in the wrong direction.
That makes Golden State’s 2018 championship run look even more impressive in hindsight. Curry was helping power the Warriors while dealing with blurred and distorted vision, all while operating at the center of the dynasty.
Curry has said before that he had gotten so used to squinting that it felt normal. He also credited contact lenses with helping him get out of a shooting slump.
These days, Curry gets his eyes checked every six months and still wears contacts.
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The catch is in the mechanics, because any serious pursuit would have to navigate a tricky trade market while Towns is still seeking a max extension from the Knicks. Jimmy Butlers expiring contract and draft capital would likely be part of the framework, even as he works back from a torn ACL and is expected to return early next year. There is also a little basketball irony baked into the whole thing, given the shared history involved, which only makes the possibility feel even more layered as the offseason conversation develops. [Read more 🡒]
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The Warriors open training camp in Oahu on Oct. 3 with the usual mix of familiarity and uncertainty that has come to define this stage of their season. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are back in the fold, the roster has been mostly retained, and the front office sprinkled in veteran help with Brandon Williams and Georges Niang on minimum deals, while rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is expected to get a real chance to matter. Golden State will not have to wait long to see where it stands, either, with its first preseason game set for Oct. 4 against the Clippers in Hawaii.
The bigger question, though, is how much of this group will actually be available when camp gets rolling and how quickly the rotation can take shape before the NBA season opens Oct. 21. Curry is managing a knee issue, and there is no sense of urgency around his contract situation, which only adds to the feeling that the Warriors are entering camp with more to sort through than a typical contender. For a team still trying to balance its veteran core with a younger supporting cast, the first few days in Hawaii should reveal plenty about the shape of this season, even if the most important answers are still waiting to be found. [Read more 🡒]