In Beirut, Lebanon, Steve Douglas Kerr was born on September 27, 1965. He is an American coach and former professional basketball player. He is currently the coach of the Golden State Warriors, with the National Basketball Association. Kerr is a multiple NBA champion, having won 5 championship rings as a player (3 with the Chicago Bulls and 2 with the San Antonio Spurs) and four titles as a coach with the Warriors. The most skillful 3-point shooter in NBA history, Kerr managed a percentage of 45.4%.
In June 2007, Kerr became general manager and president of basketball operations for the Phoenix Suns. Kerr helped Robert Sarver buy the Suns in 2004 and became one of Sarver’s basketball advisers. Kerr retired from the Suns in June 2010. Subsequently, Kerr returned as a commentator for the NBA on TNT until 2014, when he pursued a career in coaching.
In May 2014, he was named the Golden State Warriors coach. April 4, 2015, with a victory over the Dallas Mavericks, Kerr broke the NBA record for most wins in the regular season for a rookie coach. June 16, 2015, for his first as a rookie coach, he won the NBA championship with the Warriors, making him the second rookie coach in NBA history to achieve this feat, after Pat Riley in 1982.
In April 2016, the Warriors broke the record for most wins in a regular season in the NBA, with 73 wins, breaking a record previously held by the Chicago Bulls where Kerr played in 1995-96. The Warriors have returned to the finals for four consecutive years.
Steve Kerr – Early life
Son of Malcolm Kerr, an American scholar specializing in the Middle East, president of the American University of Beirut, Steve Kerr spent much of his childhood in Lebanon and Egypt. He later studied at Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, California. In January 1984, his father was murdered with two bullets in the back of the head by two terrorists of Islamic Jihad in Lebanon. Kerr was 18 at the time.
Steve Kerr graduated from the University of Arizona in 1988 with a BA in General Studies, History, Sociology, and English.
He played basketball for the Arizona Wildcats from 1983 to 1988. In the summer of 1986, Kerr was nominated to represent the United States basketball team that played in the FIBA World Championship in Spain. The last American men’s team was composed only of amateur players to win a gold medal. During the tournament, he suffered a severe knee injury, which forced him to miss the entire 1986-1987 season in Arizona. He helped the team to reach the Final Four of Division I of the NCAA in 1988 with US teammate Sean Elliott. Kerr also set an NCAA season-long 3-point percentage record at 57.3%.
Steve Kerr – NBA career
The Phoenix Suns drafted Steve Kerr in the second round of the 1988 NBA Draft, but then he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He spent more than three seasons there and part of the season with the Orlando Magic.
Steve Kerr – Chicago Bulls
In 1993, he signed a deal with the Chicago Bulls. During the 1994-1995 season, the Bulls reached the playoffs, but without the presence of Michael Jordan, they failed to win the title. However, with Jordan’s return for the 1995-96 season, the Bulls hit a record 72 wins and ten losses and then beat the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals, allowing Kerr to be part of the winning team. The highest number of victories in a season in NBA history, a record that stands until the 2015-2016 season.
Kerr scored the winning shot in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz on an assist from Michael Jordan, allowing the Bulls to secure the ring. Kerr also won the Three-point contest at the 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend. The Bulls once again beat the Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals.
Steve Kerr – San Antonio Spurs
In January 1999, Kerr was picked up by the Spurs in a trade with the Bulls, in which Chuck Person and a first draft pick were sent to Chicago. The Spurs made it to the NBA Finals for the first time in their history, and Kerr won his fourth ring when the Spurs beat the New York Knicks in 1999.
Steve Kerr – Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers traded Steve Kerr together with Derek Anderson in July, 2001, in a deal that brought Steve Smith to Spurs. He will remain in Portland for the 2001-2002 season, where he played 65 games.
Steve Kerr – Return to Spurs
During the 2003 playoffs, Kerr contributed to the Spurs’ win in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Mavericks, scoring four decisive 3-pointers to eliminate the Mavericks. Spurs Kerr, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Emanuel Ginobili won the title against the New Jersey Nets.
Kerr announced his retirement after the 2003 NBA Finals.
He retired as the best percentage 3-point shooter title in the NBA (45.4%). He also long held the title of the most skillful player at three points in a season, with 52.3% shooting in the 1994-1995 season. This record has been broken by Kyle Korver.
Steve Kerr – TV commentator
In 2003, Kerr became a consultant for TNT, providing commentary alongside analyst Marv Albert. During the same period, Kerr became a consultant for Yahoo.
He lends his voice to the video games of EA Sports, NBA Live. He also provided his voice as an analyst for NBA 2K. He remained a commentator on the 2015 edition despite becoming coach of the Golden State Warriors for the 2014-2015 season several months before the game’s release.
Kerr left the commentator position in 2007 to become general manager of the Phoenix Suns, but later was confirmed on June, 2010, that he would return as an NBA analyst for TNT starting with the 2010-2011 NBA season. Since 2011, Kerr has also commented on the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship on CBS.
Steve Kerr – General manager of the Phoenix Suns
In April 2004, Steve Kerr was a part of a group of potential buyers who wanted to acquire the Phoenix Suns from Jerry Colangelo, then the owner.
In June 2007, Kerr officially announced his departure as a commentator for TNT and Yahoo to become the Phoenix Suns general manager starting in the 2007-2008 season. He replaced Mike D’Antoni, who wanted to focus on his coaching duties. In 2008, the Suns traded Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for Shaquille O’Neal. The San Antonio Spurs eliminated the Suns in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
In December 2008, Kerr continued to rebuild the Suns’ roster by trading Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean Singletary for the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley. On June 25, 2009, Kerr traded Shaque to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic.
Steve Kerr – Coaching career
In the summer of 2010, Kerr stepped down as chairman and general manager of the Suns.
Steve Kerr – Golden State Warriors
On May 14, 2014, Steve Kerr made a deal to coach the Golden State Warriors, succeeding Mark Jackson. Steve Kerr was the 2014 Summer League coach for the Warriors. During the 2014-2015 season, the team’s attack was based on elements of the triangle offense. He played under Phil Jackson in Chicago, Gregg’s Popovich spacing and pace from San Antonio, and the fast-pace Suns used under Mike D’Antoni.
After the Warriors had beaten the Houston Rockets to win their 14th consecutive game, Kerr became the first head coach to start his career with a record of 19-2. In December 2014, Kerr became the first NBA rookie coach to win 21 of his first 23 games. He was appointed coach of the team Western Conference for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game after Golden State had obtained the best record in the conference.
In April 2015, the Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks, 123-110 for home-field advantage for the playoffs, and Steve Kerr earned his 63rd win of the season to become coach rookie winningest coach in the history of the NBA. He overtook Tom Thibodeau and his 62 victories with the Chicago Bulls in the 2010-2011 season. In the NBA Coach of the Year vote, Kerr was second behind Mike Budenholzer.
The Warriors ended with one of the best regular seasons in NBA history and the best in team history in 69 years. Golden State finished with an overall record of 67-15, becoming the tenth team to win 67 or more games in a season. It was the first time the Warriors history have won more than 60 games in a season.
Their previous record was 59 in the 1975-1976 season. The Warriors also finished with a 39-2 home record, tied for the second-best home record in league history. Golden State became the first team in league history with more than two 15-game home streaks (18 and 19).
In the first round of the 2015 playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans, Steve Kerr led the Warriors to their first seven-game playoff win since the 1975 Finals. The team then beat the Memphis Grizzlies (4-2, second round). Losing 2-1 in the series, Kerr made an unconventional adjustment in Game 4, leaving Tony Allen open to shooting and keeping Andrew Bogut close to the paint. His strategy was hailed after Memphis’ best defender Allen was sidelined and limited to 16 minutes after missing 20 open shots. The Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals, entering the NBA Finals after 40 years.
The Warriors faced the Cleveland Cavs in the 2015 NBA Finals. Steve Kerr and rival coach David Blatt were both in their first seasons as NBA coaches, and it was the first time a couple of rookie coaches have faced each other in the NBA Finals. After the Warriors fell 2-1 to Cleveland, Kerr started Andre Iguodala in place of Bogut for a 103-82 away win that tied the series.
It was Iguodala’s first start of the year. After the match, Steve Kerr admitted he lied to the press on pre-match questions about potential changes to his initial lineup. The Warriors have won the title in six games, beating the Cavaliers 4-2 in the series, to give Kerr his sixth NBA title and his first as a coach.
After the initial days of training camp the following season, Kerr took an indefinite leave to rehabilitate his back. Around this time, assistant coach Luke Walton took over as Steve Kerr’s coach. Coach missed all of 2015 and most of January 2016, although technically, the NBA has attributed Walton’s win-loss record to Kerr. January 22, 2016, Kerr returned to the bench after missing 43 games but warned he might have to miss games on occasion if there was a recurrence of pains.
The Warriors were 39-4 with interim coach Luke Walton. The Warriors finished 34-5 after Kerr returned to the lead. Golden State has beaten the record of the Chicago Bulls from 1995-1996, winning 73 games.
Steve Kerr became the first person in NBA history to be part of multiple teams earning over 70 wins as a player and coach. He was named the 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year. Kerr led the Warriors to the 2016 NBA Finals, where they once again faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the Warriors lost the final in seven games, leading the series 3-1 before losing the last three games.
Kerr missed a few games during the 2017 playoffs due to recurring health issues. Assistant coach Mike Brown acted as interim coach during Kerr’s periods of absence, and Brown continued to coach in the playoffs leading the Warriors to a 12-0 playoff record. Steve returned for the 2017 NBA Finals, where he coached the team to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. The Warriors finished the playoffs with 16-1, the best percentage in playoff victories in the history of the NBA.
Coach Steve Kerr is the fourth coach in the association to win two NBA championships in his first three seasons as a head coach.
In February 2018, he became the coach of the professional North American leagues to achieve 250 victories the fastest. He only needed 302 games for that, while Phil Jackson needed 346.
Kerr won his third coaching title when the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals in four games to give Steve Kerr the eighth NBA title of his career. He also became the first coach in NBA history to lead his team to 67 or more wins in consecutive seasons.
Then, in 2022 and after two years of not even making the playoffs, Kerr once again proved the doubters wrong by leading the Warriors to another championship, this time in six games against the Boston Celtics. That took his personal tally to nine NBA championships overall, becoming one of the winningest persons in the history of professional basketball.
He develops a highly collective game, emphasizing three-point shooting and passing. The Warriors delivered high ten assists (the pass before the decisive assists) per game, far ahead of the rest of the NBA. This philosophy of play makes them establish the best evaluation (113.2) and the best effective percentage of success in the league’s history with 56.3%.
How many rings does Steve Kerr have as a coach?
He has 4 rings as a coach, from 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022.
How many teams did Steve Kerr play for?
Steve Kerr played for six teams throughout his 15-year playing career with the NBA (Phoenix, Cleveland, Orlando, Chicago, San Antonio, and Portland).
How many wins does Steve Kerr have as a coach?
As head coach, Steve Kerr has won 429 regular season games and 80 playoff games. With his first three seasons being especially successful, he is second in franchise history for most regular season wins behind only Al Attles. His 80 playoff wins are also a record for the franchise.
When did Steve Kerr start coaching the Warriors?
Kerr concluded his playing career in 2003 with the San Antonio Spurs. Subsequently, he transitioned to a role as a TV analyst and later assumed the position of General Manager for the Phoenix Suns from 2007 to 2010. In 2014, he embarked on his coaching journey with the Golden State Warriors.
