Steve Kerr

Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the head coach of the U.S. national team. Kerr is known as one of the most accurate three-point shooters in NBA history and holds the record for highest career three-point percentage. H...

Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the head coach of the U.S. national team. Kerr is known as one of the most accurate three-point shooters in NBA history and holds the record for highest career three-point percentage. He is also a nine-time NBA champion, having won five titles as a player and four as a head coach. Kerr was named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History. Kerr played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. He was a two-time first-team all-conference player in the Pac-10 (now known as the Pac-12) and earned All-American honors as a senior in 1988. In the 1987–88 season, Kerr set the NCAA single-season three-point field goal percentage record (57.3%). Selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 1988 NBA draft, Kerr played 15 seasons in the NBA. He won five NBA championships as a player—three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs—and retired as the all-time NBA leader in single-season three-point shooting percentage and career three-point shooting percentage. Following his retirement as a player, Kerr became a minority owner of the Phoenix Suns as part of a group led by Robert Sarver that purchased the team in 2004. In June 2007, Phoenix named Kerr the team's president of basketball operations and general manager. Kerr announced he was leaving the position in June 2010. After stepping down from his post with the Suns, Kerr worked as a color commentator for NBA on TNT until 2014. In May 2014, Kerr was named head coach of the Warriors. Under his leadership, the franchise entered the most successful period in its history, reaching the NBA Finals six times and winning four championships (in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022). The 2015–16 Warriors won an unprecedented 73 games, breaking the record for the most wins in an NBA season. Early life and international play Kerr was born on September 27, 1965, in Beirut, Lebanon to Malcolm H. Kerr, a Lebanese-born American academic, and Ann Kerr (née Zwicker), an American academic from California. Both of his parents specialized in the Middle East. Kerr has three siblings. His paternal grandfather, Stanley Kerr, volunteered with the Near East Relief after the Armenian genocide and rescued women and orphans in Aleppo and Marash before eventually settling in Beirut. Kerr spent much of his childhood in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, where he attended Cairo American College. While in Beirut in the summer of 1983, Kerr met a number of U.S. Marines who were later killed in the Beirut barracks bombings. He graduated from Palisades High School in Los Angeles in 1983. On January 18, 1984, Malcolm Kerr was killed by members of the Islamic Jihad at age 52 while serving as president of the American University of Beirut. Malcolm was shot twice in the back of his head by gunmen using suppressed handguns in the hallway outside his office. Kerr was an 18-year-old college freshman at the time of his father's death. Regarding his father's death, Kerr has said: "Before my father was killed, my life was impenetrable. Bad things happened to other people." During the summer of 1986, Kerr was named to the U.S. national team that competed in the FIBA World Championship in Spain. The team won the title for the first time since 1954 and was the last American men's senior squad not to feature NBA players that had won a major international tournament. Kerr suffered a torn ACL during the competition. College career Minimally recruited out of high school, Kerr played basketball at the University of Arizona from 1983 to 1988. A guard, Kerr injured his knee playing in the 1986 FIBA World Championship, forcing him to miss the Wildcats' entire 1986–87 season. During pre-game warmups at arch-rival Arizona State University in 1988, Kerr was taunted by Sun Devils fans with chants that included "PLO" and "Where’s your father?" Though tearful, Kerr led the Wildcats to victory, scoring 20 points in the first half, making all six of his three-point attempts. Arizona State athletic director Charles Harris sent a letter of apology to Kerr a few days later. Along with fellow All-American teammate Sean Elliott, Kerr helped the Wildcats reach the Final Four of the 1988 NCAA tournament. A two-time first-team All-Pac-10 selection, he also set an NCAA single-season record for three-point percentage (57.3%, 114–199) in 1987–88. The NCAA introduced the three-point shot while Kerr was redshirting. In his only collegiate season with the three-point shot, Kerr established standards that formerly stood as Pac-12 records for nearly two decades: single-season three-point shots made (114; stood until Salim Stoudamire posted 120 in 2005), Pac-12 tournament run three-point field goal percentage (.750, min 5 made; Marcus Williams, .833, 2006). He led the Pac-10 in free throw shooting in 1985–86 (89.9%). Kerr graduated from the University of Arizona in 1988 with a Bachelor of General Studies, with an emphasis on history, sociology, and English. He finished his collegiate basketball career with an average of 11.2 points per game and a 54.8% field goal percentage. Professional career Phoenix Suns (1988–1989) Kerr was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round (50th overall) of the 1988 NBA draft. He averaged 2.1 points per game for the Suns in 26 games as a rookie. Cleveland Cavaliers (1989–1992) In 1989, Kerr was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for draft consideration. In over three seasons with the Cavaliers, he set the team's franchise single-season (.507, 1989–90) and career three-point field goal percentage (.472) records. Orlando Magic (1992–1993) In December 1992, Kerr was traded to the Orlando Magic for draft considerations. He averaged 2.6 points per game during his tenure with Orlando. Chicago Bulls (1993–1998) In 1993, Kerr signed with the Chicago Bulls. He played in Chicago for five seasons and typically came off of the bench, playing the role of three-point shooting specialist. The Bulls made the playoffs in the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons, but without Michael Jordan's presence for all of 1994 and much of 1995, the team was unable to advance to the Finals. However, with Jordan back full-time for the 1995–96 season, the Bulls set a then-NBA record of 72–10 and defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals in six games. In 1997, the Bulls logged a 69–13 regular-season record and reached the 1997 NBA Finals, where they faced the Utah Jazz. At the end of Game 6, with the score tied at 86, Kerr took a pass from Jordan and made a 17-foot jump shot to win the championship for the Bulls. Kerr also won the Three-Point Contest at the 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend. In the last minute of Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals against Utah, Kerr missed a three-pointer, grabbed his own rebound, and made a pass to Jordan. Jordan made a crucial three-point play, putting the Bulls in the lead for good and helping the team tie the series at one game apiece. The Bulls went on to win the series in six games. Kerr set the Bulls' franchise single-season (.524, 1994–95) and career three-point field goal percentage (.479) records. During his tenure with the Bulls, Kerr averaged 8.2 points per game on 50.7% shooting. San Antonio Spurs (1999–2001) In January 1999, Kerr was acquired by the San Antonio Spurs in a sign-and-trade deal with the Bulls, whereby Chuck Person and a first-round pick in the 2000 NBA draft was sent to Chicago. The Spurs reached the 1999 NBA Finals and won their first NBA Championship with a 4–1 series victory over the New York Knicks. Kerr and Frank Saul were the only two players in NBA history to have won three championships with two different teams in consecutive seasons, until Patrick McCaw, whom Kerr later coached with the Warriors, achieved the same feat in 2019. Portland Trail Blazers (2001–2002) On July 24, 2001, Kerr was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers alongside Derek Anderson in a deal that brought Steve Smith to the Spurs. Kerr would remain in Portland for the 2001–02 season, playing in 65 games and averaging 4.1 points per game. Return to San Antonio (2002–2003) On August 2, 2002, Kerr was traded back to San Antonio along with Erick Barkley and a 2003 second-round pick. In return, the Trail Blazers received Charles Smith, Amal McCaskill, and Antonio Daniels. Kerr played in nearly every game (75) the following year, which was his final season in the league. In Game 6 of the 2003 Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Kerr made four second-half three-pointers that helped the Spurs win the game and eliminate Dallas from the playoffs. The Spurs eventually won the NBA championship by beating the New Jersey Nets during the 2003 NBA Finals in six games. Retirement Kerr announced his retirement after the 2003 NBA Finals. During his NBA career, Kerr won five NBA championships. He retired as the league's all-time leader in single-season three-point shooting percentage (.524 in 1994–95) and career three-point shooting percentage (.454). As of 2024, Kerr is the only NBA player to win four straight NBA titles after 1969. Broadcaster and commentator In 2003, Kerr became a broadcast analyst for Turner Network Television (TNT), offering commentary alongside analyst Marv Albert. During his tenure, Kerr performed a segment sponsored by Coors Light called Steve's Refreshing Thoughts in which he brought up interesting facts in NBA history. This segment continued through sponsorship and became known as Steve Wonders, sponsored by Sprint. In the same time period, Kerr also contributed to Yahoo! as an NBA commentator. Kerr left broadcasting in 2007 to become the general manager of the Phoenix Suns, but he returned as an NBA analyst for TNT for the 2010–11 NBA season. In 2011, he also called the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship on Turner Sports and CBS, teaming up with lead broadcasters Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg for the First Four and Final Four games, and with Albert in other rounds. Kerr was also a regular contributor to the website Grantland from 2011 until it closed in 2015. Kerr also worked as a color commentator in the video games NBA Live 06 to NBA Live 10 and NBA 2K12 to NBA 2K15. Executive career Phoenix Suns (2004–2010) On April 15, 2004, Kerr was announced as a member of a potential group of buyers that would acquire his old team, the Phoenix Suns, from Jerry Colangelo for $300 million. Kerr became part of Suns management, acting as a consultant. During the 2006 NBA All-Star Weekend, he was a member of the San Antonio team that won the Shooting Stars Competition. On June 2, 2007, Kerr announced that he would become the general manager of the Phoenix Suns beginning with the 2007–08 season. In 2008, the Suns traded forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks to the Miami Heat in exchange for Shaquille O'Neal. The Suns were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the first round of the playoffs. On December 10, 2008, Kerr continued to remake the Suns roster by trading Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean Singletary to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley, and the Bobcats' 2010 second-round draft pick, which was used to draft Gani Lawal of Georgia Tech. On June 25, 2009, he traded O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a future second-round draft pick and cash. On May 5, 2010, the Suns wore their "Noche Latina" Los Suns jerseys in Game 2 against the Spurs to be united against the controversial Arizona immigration law. Kerr himself compared the law to Nazi Germany. In 2010, Kerr left the Suns as president of basketball operations and general manager. He continued to own less than one percent of the Suns' organization until 2014, when he decided to coach the Golden State Warriors. Coaching career Golden State Warriors