Steph recalls his nerve-racking ankle surgery with Dell, agent

Steph recalls his nerve-racking ankle surgery with Dell, agent originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Nearly 12 years ago, on Aug. 25, 2012, Steph Curry, his father Dell and agent Jeff Austin nervously awaited word about the Warriors guard, who was undergoing right ankle surgery for the second consecutive year.

Fortunately for Curry and everyone involved, Dr. Richard Ferkel of Southern California Orthopedic Institute in Van Nuys, Ca., took excellent care of his client. But the waiting and worrying for answers was strenuous for Dell, Austin and Steph — before and after the then-24-year-old was anesthetized.

Anxiety lingered throughout the stressful day, as the trio did not know what the future had in store, as the injury-riddled Curry was in the third and final year of his rookie contract with Golden State. The three discussed the frightful memory Thursday on the debut episode of the “Heat Check with Stephen and Dell Curry” podcast.

“It’s me and Jeff,” Dell said. “[Ferkel] goes, ‘I’m taking Steph back. We’re going to open it up, look at it, and we’ll come out and tell you what needs to be done, and you guys can give us the OK or not.’ Fine.”

Dell, a television analyst for the Charlotte Hornets then and now, had the approval of the team to miss the last handful of games in the 2011-12 NBA season to be with his oldest son.

And Austin of Octagon Basketball, Steph’s agent for his 15-year NBA career, vividly remembers the day.

“Dell and myself would be outside the operating room when Stephen went in for surgery,” Austin said. “We had spent enough time with Dr. Ferkel to trust him — that he would open up the ankle, see what he finds and he would make his decision on what needs to happen based upon when he gets inside the ankle.

“He would consult with Dell and I, and he did not have permission from Stephen or Dell to do the reconstruction without stepping out of the room and explaining why he would have to do it.”

Simple enough? Not really.

What initially was supposed to be a relatively short viewing of the inside of Steph’s ankle turned into an overtime-game-long wait for Dell and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/steph-recalls-nerve-racking-ankle-211452081.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-06-14 21:32:50

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