Stephen Douglas Kerr, more commonly known as Steve Kerr, is an American basketball coach, currently coaching the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. Born in Lebanon, Kerr is one of the most accurate 3-point shooters in NBA history, boasting the highest shooting percentage from 3-point range in NBA history. He is also one of the most accurate free-throw shooters. Kerr is a nine-time NBA champion, winning five as a player and four as a coach.
Kerr was recruited minimally out of high school and joined the University of Arizona. As a member of the Arizona Wildcats, Kerr earned two first-team All-Pac10 honors and earned All-American team honors in the 1988 season as a senior. He was picked by the Phoenix Suns in the 1988 NBA draft as the 50th overall pick and slowly he made a name for himself.
Kerr moved from the Phoenix Suns to the Cleveland Cavaliers after one season where he began to be recognized as one of the best shooters in the league along with Mark Price. After spending three years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kerr played for one season with the Orlando Magic before signing with the Chicago Bulls in 1993. It was in Chicago where Kerr broke out as a player. Under the bright lights of playing with Michael Jordan, Kerr shined. Being a quintessential backup to Ron Harper, Kerr hit big shots time and again when his number was called upon.
The most memorable and famous moment of his career came in the 1997 NBA Finals. In Game 6 of a closely contested tie game, Kerr broke free to hit a jumper that won the game and subsequently the championship for the Chicago Bulls. After the Bulls disintegrated their entire roster in 1998, Kerr was moved to the San Antonio Spurs where he was another integral part of a championship-winning team.
Kerr won 2 championships with the Spurs, in 1999 and in 2003. His run with the Spurs is most remembered for Game 6 of the 2003 Western Conference Finals where little-used Steve Kerr hit four huge second-half three-pointers to clinch a Finals berth for the Spurs. Kerr would go on to retire after the 2003 NBA season.
What teams did Steve Kerr coach?
Steve Kerr did not immediately jump to coaching after his playing career. In 2007, Kerr acquired a minority share of the Phoenix Suns and subsequently became the general manager of the team. He would take on this role for two years before stepping down and becoming a commentator for TNT. He commentated on various games for the network, including NCAA tourney games. In 2014, Kerr announced he would be stepping down as a commentator for TNT as a result of taking a coaching job from the Golden State Warriors.
Steve Kerr was named the head coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2014 and he made an immediate impact with his newfound role. Using lead guard Steph Curry more off-ball, Kerr instilled a motion offense focusing more on ball and player movement instead of individual brilliance that still works to this day.
The Warriors won a league-best 67 games and Kerr was named the NBA’s coach of the year. In his very first season as the head coach, Kerr led the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA championship, a remarkable achievement. Since then, the Golden State Warriors have become one of the most formidable dynasties in the NBA, winning 3 championships in 5 years.
It all came crashing down in the 2019-20 season with Klay Thompson’s ACL injury and Steph Curry’s hand injury five games into the season. This left the Warriors in a precarious position with no depth and no star players and they would finish the season 15-50, the league’s worst record. It was indeed shocking to see how the Warriors went from being at the top of the mountain to the bottom within the span of a year.
In spite of all this, Kerr claimed the 2019-20 season was one of the best seasons he had as a coach. It allowed him to exercise his full abilities as a coach, taking young talents in his wing and molding them into fitting his beautiful motion offense. The Warriors would not remain at the bottom of the mountain for long as in the 2021-22 season, they roared back, winning their fourth title under the Steve Kerr era. Kerr is still the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, now resuming his tenth season with the team.
FAQs
A. Steve Kerr is currently the head coach of the Golden State Warriors.
A. Steve Kerr has won nine NBA championships, five as a player and four as a coach.
A. Steve Kerr mostly played the point guard position in his career.
A. Steve Kerr has played for the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, and the Portland Trail Blazers in his career.
A. Steve Kerr is currently 57 years of age.
