The longtime Warriors head coach explained that he is “very concerned” about rising injuries to star players in 2025-2026. Kerr specifically mentioned the pace and distance of the modern NBA. Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports had the facts to back up what Steve Kerr believes to be true. According to Haberstroh, only 67.2% of star players have participated in games to start the 2025-2026 season.
Does the NBA have a problem with its star players missing extended periods of time due to injury?
NEW @YahooSports: NBA star players will miss twice as many games as in 2023-2024. Wemby, Yes is now on NBC tonight.
It’s gotten so bad that almost half of all NBA stars are now injured: pic.twitter.com/ZZ31NlAqgG
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) November 18, 2025
About a month into the 2025-2026 season, it feels like more and more players are missing time due to injury. As of Thursday, November 20, Giannis Antetokounmpo, OG Anunoby, Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper and Anthony Davis are sidelined. Antetokounmpo, Wembanyama and Davis are three of the NBA’s top stars. Kurt Helin of NBC Sports noted that soft tissue injuries appear to be on the rise this year.
Additionally, Yahoo Sports’ Tom Haberstroh had some evidence to back this up. He noted that NBA stars have missed more than 200 games in the first month of the season. Haberstroh used the NBA definition of what a star is. Under those terms, there are 45 of those players in the current NBA. In 2023-2024, 87.2% of the league’s stars had played through the first month of the season. That number fell slightly to 82.6% in 2024-25. However, NBA stars are missing games at an alarming rate in 2025-2025.
Steve Kerr said he is “concerned” about the increase in soft tissue injuries in the NBA. His medical staff believes the increased pace combined with the schedule led to that.
“They believe that wear and tear, speed, pace and mileage play a role in these injuries.” pic.twitter.com/VABfBFJMcK
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 18, 2025
Tom Haberstroh reported that NBA stars play in 67.6% of games. That’s a difference of almost 20% since the 2023-2024 season. Not a good image for a league that tries to counter critics who say there are never any stars on the field. Speaking to the media, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said the increase in injuries this season has him “very concerned.”
He blamed a combination of the space around the NBA and the pace of the modern game. Steve Kerr said teams benefit from playing in transition now more than ever. Players are asked to increase the pace of play, which results in injuries. He added that the 82-game NBA schedule is another factor that teams try to balance throughout the year. Teams want to be at their best during the playoffs. That could lead to star players missing time early on.
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