Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry speaks with coach Steve Kerr and the team before the game against Charlotte Hornets on February 20, 2021.
Jared C. Tilton / Getty ImagesSaturday night’s match between Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets was to be Steph Curry’s annual homecoming game since he grew up in Charlotte. But just before he started, Curry was in deep conversation with the Warriors team, as well as with Charlotte’s team doctor, and he was considered a late scratch due to “illness”.
Nobody wanted to say it out loud, but the concern, of course, was COVID-19. On a few other occasions this season, players were kicked out of the NBA just before and even during games due to positive coronavirus tests or close contact interactions with someone who tested positive. Hornets commentator Dell Curry – Steph’s father – also seemed a little nervous when the broadcast about his son’s situation began.
In this case, however, the Dubs line – at least on Sunday morning – is that Curry really did not feel well and that was not a health and safety protocol decision. After the Warriors ruined the game in the final seconds, largely thanks to a expulsion from Draymond Green, coach Steve Kerr explained what happened to his star player.
“Doing his usual warm-up routine, he just didn’t feel right,” Kerr told reporters. “And then he came back, saw the Charlotte team doctor, left, tried to warm up and was not feeling well. We made the decision, the training team and Steph and I, we all made the decision not to play him. .. There was not [COVID-19] protocols in force. Just him feeling bad. “
Kerr added that he expects Curry to play in his next game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.