Steve Kerr's appointment as Team USA Basketball's head coach for 2 major events to be reportedly made official; Here's what we know so far
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr will be introduced as the head coach of the men’s national Team USA Basketball for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics during a news conference at 2 p.m. (Eastern) Monday at the Chase Center.
USA Basketball and its new executive director Grant Hill announced the coaching staff Monday.
Joining Kerr as assistants are Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Gonzaga coach Mark Few.
In September, Marc Stein of “The Stein Line” reported Steve Kerr was a favorite among the trio of him, San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich and Miami’s Erik Spoelstra. All three prime candidates made the race close and the final decision difficult.
When asked about the possibility, Kerr said:
“Of course I’d be interested. I mean, who wouldn’t be? … I’ll leave it at that. I have no idea how it will all transpire; there are a lot of great candidates out there. And if I were to be considered, that would be an honor.”
Steve Kerr’s Golden State Warriors (24-6) and Monty Williams' Phoenix Suns (24-5) lead the NBA's two best teams. Kerr has led the Warriors to three NBA titles, while Spoelstra has led the Heat (18-13) to two. Mark Few has Gonzaga (9-2) ranked No. 4 by The Associated Press in NCAA college basketball.
Officially official.
@SteveKerr has been named the next head coach of the USA men's basketball national team 🇺🇸 https://t.co/f9hThf82yW
Steve Kerr as new coach of Team USA
Steve Kerr is no rookie to Team USA. His first appearance dates to 1986 as a player. Steve Kerr won a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship.
During the 2020 Team USA run to Olympic gold in Tokyo, Steve Kerr was an assistant coach for San Antonio Spurs legend Gregg Popovich. Having gained experience from this opportunity, Kerr should prove to be a valuable asset. Steve was also involved in Tokyo last summer, as America beat France in the final to grab their fourth straight gold. Kerr has been an assistant coach from 2017-21. He also helped Team USA to gold in the FIBA World Cup in China in 2019.
In addition, Kerr has a unique perspective after having been a part owner of the Phoenix Suns as well as serving as the Suns' general manager and president. He's also been an on national TNT broadcasts. And he won five NBA titles as a player: three under Phil Jackson with the Chicago Bulls and two under Popovich with the Spurs.
No stranger to Olympic gold medal opportunities, Steve Kerr should manage well in this role. The Warriors coach always seems poised in stressful situations. He has revived Golden State as one of the NBA's best teams, even with Klay Thompson still out with an injury.
Steve Kerr will coach his first major tournament for Team USA in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, bringing him to Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The qualifications for this event have already started and will continue into 2023.
Team USA, led by a unit containing Isaiah Thomas, Shaquille Harrison and Luke Kornet, recently played their first games. Beating Cuba and losing to Mexico, Team USA stands in third place out of the four in their group. Moving up in the standings will do them well but is not necessary as they only need to finish in the top three to advance.
Steph Curry comments on his coaches new role
When asked about the new opportunity for his coach and any difficulties from adding on that responsibility, Golden State star Steph Curry said this:
“I know it will probably flex a different muscle for him in terms of, it’s almost like borderline you’ve got to go recruit some guys, you’ve got to be the morale booster, you’ve got to put in a system. But it’s about the culture that you create around that team because you’re not together all the time. And how quickly can you guys gel. So that will be fun to watch.”
With the steady array of success Steve Kerr has had since 2014 with Golden State, we can only imagine how great of an impact he will have on Team USA.
With stars staying determined and well-established in their roles on Golden State, while also maintaining a light-hearted and fun culture together, it looks as though Steve Kerr should do just in bringing the same structure to the national team.
One of the biggest problems, as Curry noted, is the players not being together all the time. Kerr seems to be the coach for the job in remedying that problem.
Team USA should be in great hands going forward in their next few tournaments under Steve Kerr.