Two time NBA All-Star, 2015 NBA most valuable player who carried the Warriors to a NBA championship, an average scorer of 29.7 points per game (this season), and b
eing half to the Splash brothers, Stephen Curry is an idol and star on the court. His impeccable skill makes him a prominent player, along with being a fan favorite. This is shown in jersey sales as they are going through the roof, jumping to an increase of 581%. The love of Curry has brought more fans to root for this local team, and Wilcox is swarming with them. Freshman at Wilcox, Kirby James I. Exciminiano, is a major supporter, “ I like the Warriors because they’re just exciting to watch. They’re my
home team.”

The team kicked off the New Year with a stellar record of 41-4, as of January 25th, most recently playing the San Antonio Spurs. The domination of the sport has left some spectators disappointed , Wilcox student, Ali Salehi, jokes, “The Warriors are too good, so the games are starting to get boring.” However, beloved Stephen Curry recently irritated his left shin contusion on January fifth. This occurred during the third quarter in a game verses th Lakers. Curry’s shin made contact with Roy Hibbert’s leg when Curry jumped for the basket, until Hibbert blocked him. Curry did go back to finish the game, under his coach’s permission. However, Curry sees this as a tedious problem as he told reporters, “It’s just frustrating and annoying and any other adjective you want to throw in there. Long-term, it’s not something that I’ll have to worry about. It’s just playing through an injury that’s there. It doesn’t get worse if I play on it, unless I get kicked, and that’s happened three times since I did it, so hopefully it won’t keep happening again.”

Additionally, the athlete objects to missing playing time, and has not worried too much about how this will affect his injury, telling the press, “A while, like four weeks. I’m not going to sit out four weeks, so just got to figure out how to protect it while I’m out on the floor and keep playing.” Although Curry was injured that game, he scored twenty-six points, with the first eight baskets being three pointers. The basketball player first had an issue with his shin after a game against the Sacramento Kings, a team his brother, Seth Curry, plays on. To defend him while playing now, Curry decided to wear a plastic shin guard. A Wilcox senior, Hazel Gonzales, contributes her thoughts on the matter, “Although Curry is a crucial contributor of points for the Warriors, I think that he should fully recover from his shin contusion so he would be in perfect condition when they play against the Spurs. I don’t think that the Warriors desperately need Curry since there are other valuable players that are able to play, such as Barnes and Iguodala.”

Along with that, Curry has a history of injuries. He received a blow to the head, resulting in a concussion in game four of the Western conference finals, in May of 2015. He fell headfirst on ahardwood floor, after attempting to block. Also, the pro has suffered a series of ankle problems, leading to a surgery to repair his torn ligaments in May of 2011. It began when he missed a game in February of 2009 after rolling his ankle. In December of 2010 he sprained his ankle in a game against the San Antonio Spurs. He continued to sprain his ankle, making surgery the suitable choice. Even within a year after the surgery, Curry continued to hurt his ankle, in January and early March of 2012. Curry went to rehab for the troubled ankle, only to harm his ankle yet another time in 2013.

The Golden State Warriors have faced dealing with numerous injuries, and a recent one being with 6′-7” power forward, Draymond Green. Although he has not said much about the topic, he has confirmed his ankle injury. Throughout the ups and downs of the team, the fans have stayed consistent, with a religious viewer and Wilcox junior, Christian Hartley, believing in them as a team, “Well, the Warriors, to me, are just a great group of guys who are dominating the sport they love. I like the aspect of how the Warriors don’t say that they are the best…and that ‘they are better’.” This passion for the team has brought the Bay Area closer together, and uniting others to cheer for the reigning champs.