OAKLAND — To be clear, this is not how Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry envisioned the 2025-26 NBA season coming to a close. With the team having lost 17 of its last 23 games, the Warriors are limping into the play-in tournament with only a whisker of a chance to make the playoffs — and a near-zero chance of advancing to the second round should they earn a postseason date with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Yet amid the injuries, the missed opportunities, and the mounting frustration, one piece of undeniable good news landed on Monday like a perfectly timed splash three: Stephen Curry’s No. 30 Warriors jersey remains the best-selling jersey in the entire league.
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association jointly announced the Fanatics sales figures for the 2025-26 regular season, confirming that Curry once again sits atop the list. He outpaced Luka Doncic of the Lakers in second place, Jalen Brunson of the Knicks in third, rising star Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs in fourth, and fellow veteran LeBron James in fifth.
The numbers offer a striking counterpoint to the Warriors’ on-court reality. Things had been progressing smoothly for Curry and Golden State until January 19. A nine-win stretch in 12 games came to an abrupt halt when star forward Jimmy Butler suffered a torn ACL that ended his season. Less than two weeks later, Curry himself began dealing with persistent knee tendinitis. What was initially expected to sideline the 37-year-old icon for roughly one week instead kept him out for nearly two months.
The front office attempted to bolster the roster by trading for center Kristaps Porzingis, but he too has battled injuries. Forward Moses Moody tore his patellar tendon, further thinning an already depleted lineup. The Warriors have been a hobbled unit for weeks, essentially playing out the string for pride.
Even so, Curry’s popularity has not wavered. The league’s official statement highlighted both individual and team success: “The National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) today jointly announced that the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and the New York Knicks have secured the top spots on the NBA’s Top-Selling Jersey and Team Merchandise lists, respectively, for the 2025-26 regular season.”
As the Warriors prepare to open the play-in tournament on Wednesday against the very Clippers team they lost to on Sunday, there remains a quiet sense of hope that experience can still matter. Curry played just 28 minutes in that regular-season finale, with starters Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Brandin Podziemski, and De’Anthony Melton all held under 24 minutes as well — a clear sign of load management heading into the do-or-die game.
When asked how difficult it is to flip the switch to win-or-go-home intensity, Curry was characteristically direct.
“Super easy,” he said. “We’ve been there before, whether it is a Game 7 or the many play-in games that we have been fortunate enough to play in. Mentally, it’s just coming in with the right approach and the right mentality. You’re going to have to, as a group, withstand some runs. We know the ups and downs — you’re not going to play perfect. But can we just play hard for 48 minutes?”
In a season defined by setbacks, Curry’s enduring appeal and the Warriors’ postseason pedigree provide the only remaining narrative thread worth clinging to. Whether that thread is strong enough to pull Golden State through the play-in remains to be seen. But for one night at least, the Bay Area’s favorite son received the kind of validation that no injury or losing streak can touch.