In the midst of yet another long season, two-time reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry has elected to pull out of the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
Curry, who has his Golden State Warriors two wins from a second consecutive NBA title, has suffered through multiple injuries during the playoffs.
He injured his ankle in Game 1 of the first round against the Houston Rockets before spraining the MCL in his right knee later in that series.
While Curry continues to play an important role during the Warriors’ chase at history, he’s doesn’t seem to be 100 percent.
Couple that with two consecutive exhausting seasons that’s going to see his squad play well over 200 total games, and it makes sense that Curry would sit out to get his body rested for the 2017-18 campaign.
“Curry informed Team USA right before he returned to playoff action that he was opting out of this summer’s competition, which begins with a showcase in Las Vegas on July 22,” Bay Area News Group‘s Marcus Thompson reported on Monday.
In addition to the injuries Curry has suffered, there is concern over the health of athletes taking to Brazil for the games this summer.
As Thompson noted, athletes are being told to sleep in malaria nets to avoid being affected by the Zika virus. They are also being warned not to bring their families along for the trip.
A family man in every sense of the term, that could have also played a role in Curry’s decision here.
In any event, the Warriors aren’t going to complain about this decision from their star guard. Getting him rested for a potential run at a third consecutive title should take precedence.
Curry and the Warriors head to Cleveland for Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Cavaliers on Wednesday. They can wrap up the series with consecutive wins in Ohio this week.