Steph Curry flapped his arms and ripped the gumshield from his mouth and stumbled towards the locker room. The open practice for the Warriors, 48 hours before the 2026/27 NBA season gets underway, delivered a chill throughout the arena. A deathly silence was palpable, knowing the precarious foundation of the Golden State’s hopes and dreams, pinned to No 30.

LeBron James’s seismic switch from Los Angeles to Philadelphia has somewhat obscured the curious situation of a 38-year-old legend’s final act.

In the immediate aftermath of Curry’s misstep, irresponsible speculation spread of an ACL tear, which would all but scupper an 18th NBA season. But encouraging news since suggests merely a right ankle injury. Curry maintained he was “fine” to ease fears.

But this injury scare underlined a growing concern not just for the Warriors, who start their season against the Lakers on Wednesday night. Beyond an inevitable rebuild in a post-Curry world, the NBA’s grand plans for global relevance are up against the might of the NFL’s dominance and ambitious competition from other sports internationally.

A star-driven league, in the way the NFL is not necessarily, the NBA is experiencing a changing of the guard with an influx of international superstars after a soon-to-be nine-year gap since the last American MVP (James Harden in 2017/18).

The NBA was absent from the 2025 Sportico 100, which showcases the most-watched US telecasts each year, a sixth straight year, with the American gluttony for the NFL illustrated by 84 events in the list.

For those already initiated, the NBA is a compelling product and at first glance should soar in the coming years. Just look at last year’s finals and the Knicks’ first title in 53 years. The captivating nature of Jalen Brunson guiding New York past the Spurs, led by the most talented player of a generation, Victor Wembanyama, who emerged as a villain in the Big Apple, sets the table for a generation-defining rivalry.

This writer witnessed how World Cup mania belatedly arrived in New York thanks to that Knicks run, underlining that the ingredients are there to muscle in on the NFL and Premier League in the relentless pursuit for content. There have been eight different champions in as many years, though the league must better harness that unpredictable nature to thrive.

A ninth could emerge in Philadelphia, with LeBron James, seeking title No 5 and aiming to snap a seven-year drought, fresh from an unlikely switch from Los Angeles Lakers to 76ers. He joins Jaylen Brown, the Robin to Jayson Tatum as Batman for so long in Boston, alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to form the latest NBA super team.

While two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the uber efficient Oklahoma City Thunder, champions in 2025, are the favourites once again.

Commissioner Adam Silver has genuine authority and ideas, with the NBA Cup adding a wrinkle to major league tradition in the United States. But even with the exciting plans to launch NBA Europe and tie franchises to the continent’s leading football clubs, something is missing.

Speaking about his plans to utilise Curry, though Philadelphia’s Nick Nurse may encounter similar issues with James and the injury-prone Embiid, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr spoke of the awkward dilemma surrounding Curry’s usage, perhaps highlighting how the next generation of superstar American basketball players are yet to take the throne of Curry, James and more.

Curry remains one of the most compelling athletes in sport, with thousands flocking to catch a glimpse of him during his final years playing. You could feel the allure even outside of NBA circles during the 2024 Olympics two years ago, when Curry elevated his game and captivated a global audience en route to gold. I can even recall the swoosh of the net reverberating around the Bercy Arena, Paris as fans held their breath during Curry’s iconic warm-up routine.

“We’ll start trying to map out, week by week, what’s what,” Kerr said of Curry’s usage before that injury scare, with the widely-accepted greatest shooter of all time dealing with a nagging right knee injury that cost him 39 games last term.

“But to be really frank, every year we run into this [situation] where, if we have a bunch of games stacked together, back-to-backs, we have fans that buy tickets expecting to see Steph – usually Steph, sometimes other players, people expecting to see vets – and then we have a back-to-back, and we don’t play ’em. So, I would just come out and tell the fans out there to be mindful when you’re buying the tickets of the schedule. Take a look. Because we’ve got not just Steph but multiple vets we are going to try and manage, because it’s the only way we can do this.”

Golden State are not alone, but with 15 back-to-backs, the value of those Warriors games are drastically reduced both at the game and on televisions around the world, a growing issue as Silver bids to retain audiences in the regular season before the exhilarating playoffs begin on 13 April with the play-in tournament.

Until then, the numerous shooting stars in this sport’s galaxy include the NBA Cup, a Christmas Day feast of five back-to-back games, international games aplenty, including Spurs v Pelicans in Manchester, a trade frenzy building to the 11 February deadline and the ever-evolving All-Star game.

Sometimes less is more and protecting Curry, James and the league’s best veteran superstars remains paramount to the league’s ultimate success.