Steve Kerr is one of the most celebrated basketball coaches around right now. He’s set to coach the U.S. men’s national basketball team for the 2024 Summer Olympics, so now is a great time to look at Kerr’s career and the impact he has had on the sport. As head coach for the Golden State Warriors, he’s one of the main reasons that the franchise dominates in the modern age.
Coaches often have a more consistent impact on the team than the players who often come and go over a decade. Being confident in the management behind a team is great for a bettor’s confidence when looking at the NBA money lines and spreads.
Early Career
Like so many of the NBA’s greatest coaches, Steve Kerr started out as an enthusiastic basketball player. Having been raised in Beirut, Lebanon, he had moved to Los Angeles and graduated from high school in 1983. Not a year later, Kerr’s father was assassinated in Beirut by anti-American activists when Steve was just 18.
During warm-ups with the Arizona Wildcats, fans of the opposing ASU Sun Devil chanted “where’s your father?” and other taunting remarks. Despite tearing up, Kerr made all six of his three-pointer attempts and led his team to victory, and received a formal apology from the Arizona State University director of athletics.
After such a dramatic start to his basketball career, Kerr distinguished himself with the University of Arizona Wildcats. In 1986, he was even added to the American Men’s Senior Team for the FIBA World Championship. It was the last team that accepted amateurs for the championship, where they won a gold medal.
Unfortunately, Kerr blew out his knee in the tournament. That’s an injury many players don’t come back from.
NBA Career
Kerr lost out on one season and then returned to basketball, having healed well from his injury. Joining the Phoenix Suns as part of the 1988 NBA draft, Kerr was selected in the second round of picks. He quickly moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers a year later until 1992, when he moved to the Orlando Magic and later the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls were flagging at this point, having just lost Michael Jordan temporarily. As we know, Jordan returned in 1995 and helped rejuvenate the team. In 1997, Kerr contributed to their Finals victory against the Utah Jazz by sinking the title-winning basket after Jordan passed to him. In 1998, again facing the Jazz, the reverse happened where Kerr missed a three-pointer, rebounded himself, and passed the winning shot to Jordan.
In 1999, Kerr was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for a year. Kerr helped the Spurs win their first-ever NBA Championship title. After a brief stint with the Portland Trail Blazers, Kerr returned to the Spurs and won an NBA Championship victory in 2003. Then, satisfied with his career, he retired from play.
Reviving The Warriors
While he managed the Phoenix Suns as an executive from 2004-2010, Kerr’s biggest impact would come after he became head coach for the Golden State Warriors.
Kerr implemented a type of triangle offense that combined methods from Phil Jackson, Mike D’Antoni, and Gregg Popovich. The Warriors won 14 consecutive games, becoming the first coach who made a coaching debut with a 19-2 seasonal record. He was also the first NBA rookie coach to get 21 wins against 23 games.
Just a year later, he then became the highest-winning rookie coach in NBA’s history after coaching the Western Conference’s NBA All-Star Game in 2015. The Warriors’ standard season would be one of the best in NBA history, and certainly the best in their history, as they maintained a 67 win to just 15 loss record. This surpassed their previous high in the 70s and only 9 other NBA teams have breached 60 wins in a season.
Finally, Kerr took the Warriors to the 2015 NBA Finals, the first instance of this happening in 40 years. They won after Kerr made changes to their starting lineup, taking a leap of faith with Andre Iguodala. That lineup is now called the Death Lineup, who beat Kerr’s former team – the Cleveland Cavaliers.
One of Kerr’s latest, and probably most personal, achievements is where the Warriors to win 73 games in a season, in the 2015-16 season. This is one game ahead of the 72-10 record established by the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls season, where a young Steve Kerr played alongside Michael Jordan in one of the NBA’s most celebrated seasons.
