Stephen Curry is widely regarded as the greatest shooter in NBA history, yet he’s also one of the most high-profile athletes plagued by chronic ankle instability. In his early career, repeated right ankle sprains threatened to derail his future before it began. He suffered ligament damage, required surgery, and missed significant time — all before age 25.

Today, even with elite training, custom braces, and a Hall-of-Fame-level performance record, Curry still occasionally rolls his ankle.

His journey is the ultimate case study in ankle sprain rehabilitation — and it exposes a critical gap that most athletes, coaches, and even physical therapists continue to overlook.

Between 2009 and 2012, Curry sprained his right ankle at least 10 documented times — including five in one season. The repeated trauma led to:

Chronic inflammation

Excessive scar tissue

Ligament laxity (permanent stretching)

Joint irritation and instability

For most players, this pattern signals the beginning of the end. Curry was legitimately worried his career might be shortened.

In 2013, the Golden State Warriors training staff completely shifted Curry’s approach. Instead of just protecting the ankle with tape and braces, they redesigned how force traveled through his entire lower body.

Two major changes stood the test of time:

Power shifted from ankle to hips
Heavy emphasis on glute, hamstring, hip flexor, and core strength meant the ankle no longer absorbed the majority of cutting and landing forces.

Advanced neuromuscular training
Single-leg stability, reactive balance drills, and movement re-patterning taught his nervous system to handle awkward positions better.

The results were dramatic: Curry went from the league’s most injury-prone guard to back-to-back MVP (2015–2016) and four championships.

Despite a decade of world-class rehab, cutting-edge braces (the famous Zamst A2-DX), and arguably the best performance team in sports, Curry still occasionally tweaks an ankle.

If hip strength and balance training solved the problem, why do sprains still occur?

Because almost every public discussion of his rehab focuses on hips, core, and balance — but almost never mentions the foot itself.

Look at any Curry training clip, interview, or published routine from the last 10 years. You’ll hear plenty about:

Glutes & hips

Hamstrings & posterior chain

Core stability

Single-leg balance

Proprioception (general)

You’ll rarely — if ever — hear about:

Intrinsic foot muscles (abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis, etc.)

Big toe strength and extension

Arch control and doming

Toe splay and forefoot stability

Specific foot proprioception drills

Yet research consistently shows that chronic ankle instability is strongly linked to weakness and delayed activation in the intrinsic foot muscles. Strong hips can reduce load on the ankle, but they cannot prevent the foot from collapsing inward if the muscles that control the arch and forefoot are weak or slow to react.

When you cut, land, or push off, force enters the body through the foot first. If the small muscles of the foot can’t actively stiffen the arch and control pronation, the ankle is forced into excessive range of motion — no matter how strong your glutes are.

This is why so many athletes (and weekend warriors) keep re-spraining ankles even after months of “ankle rehab” that ignores the foot.

Here are proven, evidence-based ways to build a bulletproof foundation:

Direct Intrinsic Foot Strengthening
Start with simple bodyweight moves:
• Short-foot exercise (doming the arch)
• Toe yoga (big toe up, smaller toes down)
• Towel scrunches & marble pickups
• Barefoot single-leg balance on a folded towel

For faster progress, add targeted resistance with a tool like the FoosFoot™ — it isolates and strengthens the intrinsic foot muscles in just minutes a day.

Progressive Proprioception & Reactive Training
• Barefoot balance on unstable surfaces
• Single-leg hops with eyes closed
• Perturbation training (have a partner lightly push you while balancing)

Integrate Into Sport-Specific Movements
Perform cutting and landing drills barefoot or in minimalist shoes first, then progress to your normal footwear once foot control feels rock-solid.

…imagine how vulnerable the average athlete is with zero dedicated foot training.

Curry transformed his career by shifting force away from a fragile ankle — but even he can’t fully escape the laws of physics when the foundation (the foot) isn’t maximally strengthened.

If you battle repeated ankle sprains, stop relying only on braces and hip exercises.

Build the foundation your ankle actually stands on.

Your ankles — and your longevity in sport — will thank you.