An apparent injury forced Stephen Curry to leave Wednesday night’s game against the Houston Rockets early.
Before tip-off, however, the four-time NBA champion addressed criticism of his wife, Ayesha, from several former athletes.
The criticism emerged after the release of a new film in which Ayesha stars. Curry addressed the growing debate, which has included comments from former NBA players Nick Young and Gilbert Arenas, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho and others.
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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry leaves the court during a timeout in the first half of an NBA game against the Houston Rockets in Houston on Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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One scene in the Roku romantic comedy “Second Chance Holiday” calls for Ayesha to kiss co-star Matthew Daddario, a moment that sparked debate and criticism among sports figures on social media.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and wife Ayesha Curry (right) during the 2022 NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Rocket Mortgage Field House on Feb. 19, 2022. (Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports)
Former running back LeSean McCoy reacted to the on-camera moment saying, “This is crazy.”
Arenas also criticized Ayesha during an appearance on the “We Said What We Said” podcast with Young. Arenas described her “the only blemish” in Stephen’s family and argued that she does not behave in a way that mirrors many of the other wives of other NBA stars.
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“The only blemish in the family is the wife in the sense because she doesn’t act like the other superstars’ wives. [Michael] Jordan’s wife, Cookie [Johnson], that’s Magic’s [Johnson’s] wife, Savannah [James], right, where we don’t want to hear you,” Arenas said on the podcast. “She hasn’t been the American wife that the public knows.”
In a video posted to social media, Curry pushed back against the criticism and said he believed the discussion had crossed the line from usual chatter surrounding his family.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of noise, and usually the noise doesn’t bother me or Ayesha,” Curry said.
“But this one in particular, when people are trying to step on the accomplishments of my wife, leading podcasts and giving opinions on somebody else’s wife, I don’t know why Nick, Gil, Emmanuel and anybody else feel the need to jump in and give an opinion on something they don’t really know about.”
NBA player Steph Curry and his wife, Ayesha Curry, attend the men’s singles final between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain on Day 15 of the U.S. Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on Sept. 7, 2025. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Curry delivered arguably his sharpest message to those who continue using Ayesha’s name in their headlines.
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“Anytime Ayesha Curry shows up in your headline, I’d kindly suggest you give the happy hands, the congratulations and, maybe, an apology as loud as you lead your shows with this topic,” he said.
After defending his wife, Curry closed with a pointed thank you to the critics for the unsolicited publicity.
Curry’s early exit
Curry left Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets in the first quarter after experiencing right abdominal soreness. The two-time NBA MVP was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Curry made a 3-pointer with just over seven minutes left in the first quarter and put his hand on his right side and winced as he backpedaled after the shot.
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He immediately walked over to coach Steve Kerr and headed straight to the locker room. He appeared to be in pain and was walking gingerly and holding his right side as he exited the court.
Curry has been the team’s leading scorer in six of the last eight games as the Warriors have gone 8-0 after an 0-3 start. Houston led Golden State 56-51 at halftime.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.