Steve Kerr reveals stance on continuing Golden State Warriors' stint: "I've made that clear"
Steve Kerr has had great success in his 10 years as coach of the Golden State Warriors, and given the opportunity, he would like to continue his partnership with the team he has helped win four NBA titles.
The player-turned-coach is in the final year of his contract with the Warriors and has made it known that he wants to stay at the helm of the team and build on what they have accomplished in the last decade.
Kerr, 58, told The Ringer’s Logan Murdock in an interview:
“I want to be back. I’ve made that clear every time I’ve been asked about it. The only thing I won’t talk about is just any detail of contract stuff, but I’ve been very open. I want to come back. Joe [Lacob has] told me he wants me back, so I think I’ll be back.”
Good thing for Kerr, the Golden State Warriors, too, are looking to work on a possible extension and willing to sit down with their coach to discuss it.
General manager Mike Dunleavy said of the matter by way of NBA.com:
“I think when you’re working off that idea, you can come to a deal and hopefully we can do that. In those scenarios, there’s no real timeline in the immediate future that we have to abide by, so we’ll continue to have conversations… We are optimistic, and I think we are in a good place there.”
Steve Kerr became Warriors coach in 2014, succeeding Mark Jackson in a five-year, $25-million deal. Since taking over, he has led the team to six trips to the NBA Finals, winning four titles (2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022) behind the core of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson.
Apart from his duties as Golden State Warriors coach, Kerr was named coach of the U.S. men’s basketball team in 2021. His team finished fourth in last year’s FIBA World Cup and is now looking to redeem themselves in the Paris Olympic Games later this year.
Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors having it tough the last two seasons
While Steve Kerr's overall stint with the Golden State Warriors has been a general success, there is no denying that the last two seasons have been tough for them. This has led to questions over the tenure of the four-time NBA champion coach, moving forward.
In the 2022-23 season, coming off a title conquest, the Warriors narrowly missed an outright playoff spot with a 44-38 record. In the opening round of the postseason, they needed seven games to eliminate the Sacramento Kings.
They then faced off with the LA Lakers in the conference semifinals and were upset by their lower-seeded rivals in six games.
In the ongoing NBA season, things remain challenging for Kerr and the Warriors. No thanks to on-court struggles (Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins), league suspensions (Draymond Green), and some debatable decisions by Kerr, they have labored to a 28-26 record, currently ninth in the Western Conference.
Of late, however, the Golden State Warriors have shown signs of life, winning their last five games.
They seek to extend their winning run against the LA Clippers on Wednesday, where Kerr will be going for his 500th career coaching win.