SUMMARY
- Steve Kerr has played diverse roles in the NBA, including as a player, general manager, and head coach.
- Kerr's basketball career began at the University of Arizona, where he played a significant role in taking the team to their first Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Steve Kerr has arguably earned a spot in the list of the most popular ones in the NBA. He has been a part of the league for more than two decades. He has held different roles such as a player, general manager, and head coach. Notably, Kerr has had an incredible professional basketball journey, during which, he won an impressive number of Championships.
Before announcing his debut, Kerr was a key player on the basketball team at the University of Arizona. He played for four seasons at the Pacific-10 conference, representing the Arizona Wildcats. During his senior year, Kerr played a role in taking the team to their first Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It is undeniable that the Warriors head coach left an ever-lasting impact on Arizona University.
Furthermore, Kerr’s early life and childhood shaped his mindset which kept him determined all these years. He was born to Malcolm H. Kerr and Ann Kerr. Both of Steve’s parents specialized in Middle Eastern studies due to which his childhood was spent between California and the Middle East. From an early age, Kerr was inclined toward sports and was particularly interested in basketball.
Steve Kerr has five championships as a player
Back in 1988, Kerr was drafted into the league by the Phoenix Suns. In his rookie year itself, he displayed remarkable performance as he averaged 2.1 points, 0.9 assists, and 0.7 rebounds per game. His playing career lasted for 15 years wherein he donned jerseys of six different teams. Interestingly, just five years after retiring, Kerr had a full-circle moment as he served his debut team as a general manager.
During his playing days, Kerr won five NBA Championship titles. He earned three consecutive rings as a Chicago Bulls player from 1996 to 1998. Furthermore, during his stint with the San Antonio Spurs, the former basketball player won two more Championship titles in 1999 and 2003. His decorated playing career is an inspiration to countless people.
1996
Steve Kerr won his first-ever NBA Championship title in 1996. He was playing for the Chicago Bulls at the time and faced the Seattle SuperSonics during the NBA Finals. Out of the six games, the Bulls won four and ultimately claimed victory by an 87-75 final score in Game 6 which was on June 16, 1996.
On this date in 1996, Steve Kerr and the @ChicagoBulls defeated the Sonics in Game 6 to clinch the #NBAFinals. pic.twitter.com/18ZJAkp1NV
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) June 16, 2015
The finals of the season had everyone hooked on till the very end. The Bulls had a total of 558 points by the end of Game 6. Out of this, Kerr added 30 points in the 113 minutes that he played. Notably, the most points at 164 were added by the NBA legend Michael Jordan.
1997
The former basketball player won his second consecutive ring in the 1997 NBA Finals. It was Kerr’s ninth season in the league and winning the second ring was indeed a milestone. The game was between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz.
Each of the players from the teams delivered a competitive performance and the Bulls defeated the Salt Lake City-based team by 90-86 final points. The total minutes played by the Bulls was 1440, out of which, Kerr played for 117 minutes. During this, he posted a total of 26 points, 5 total rebounds, and 6 assists while shooting a .360 percentage from the field goal.
1998
In the NBA Finals in 1998, the Chicago Bulls and Steve Kerr won their third consecutive Championship title and had their second successful three-peat. The game was held between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz for the second consecutive time and the Chicago-based team won the Game 6 by merely one point.
The final score of the game stood at 87-86. Just like the previous NBA Finals, the Bulls won four games out of the six played. During this, Kerr played for an average of 20.8 minutes while posing an average score of 3.8 points, 0.3 total rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
1999
Steve Kerr joined the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA season 1998-1999 and helped them win their first-ever Championship ring the very next season. In the 1999 NBA Finals, Peter Holt-owned team faced the New York Knicks. Notably, the first three months of the season were lost due to a lockout and the usual 82-game was shortened to 50-game making the 1999 NBA season short.
The @spurs’ first championship was only the beginning 💪
Game 5 of the 1999 NBA Finals – 1pm ET on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/Kl14vjlflk
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 19, 2020
Out of the five games played in the finals, the Knicks were able to win only one game and the Spurs won the remaining four. The San Antonio-based team played for a total of 1200, out of which, the former star played for 44 minutes and added 9 points, 2 assists, and 5 total rebounds while shooting a .500 percentage from the 3-point field goal.
2003
After winning four consecutive NBA Championship titles, Steve Kerr won his fifth and last title as a player in the 2003 NBA Finals. The six games were played between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets and Kerr’s team won four games out of it. The final score of Game 6 stood at 88-77 points and it was an impressive win that fans rejoiced for.
Furthermore, the total number of points that the Spurs scored was 527, out of which, Kerr added 8 points. In addition to this, the former basketball player added 2 assists and 1 total rebounding while shooting a 1.000 percentage from the 3-point field goal. After the 2003 NBA Finals, Kerr announced his retirement from the league as a player.
Steve Kerr won four rings as the head coach
Steve Kerr has won a staggering nine NBA Championships during his time in the league and fans are expecting him to add more to this. Out of this, he won five rings as a player, and four rings as the head coach of the Warriors. Kerr led the San Francisco-based team to four NBA Championship titles in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022 respectively. Thereby adding his name to the list of people with multiple titles as both player and coach.
2015
In his first year of coaching, Steve Kerr made history by leading the Golden State Warriors to their first NBA Championship ring since 1975. During the 2015 NBA Finals, the Warriors faced the Cleveland Cavaliers and won four games out of the six games played. They eventually defeated the Cavaliers and the final score stood at 105-97 points.
This win was more special as it was the first of the four rings that Stephen Curry has. In the finals, the San Francisco-based team played for a total of 1490 minutes. Out of this, the most minutes were played by Curry at 255 minutes. Furthermore, he was the only player in the Warriors roster to add a total of three-digit points as he added 156 points.
2017
After getting defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors and Steve Kerr came back stronger. In the 2017 NBA Finals, the Cavaliers were able to win only one out of the five games played and the Warriors claimed victory with the final score of Game 5 at 129-120.
“There’s nothing like it. No feeling like it.”
-Steve Kerr#WarriorsArchive || 2017 NBA Finals, Game 5 pic.twitter.com/GhC4lvpwGc— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 30, 2020
This win strengthened everyone’s belief in Kerr’s coaching skills and his capability of leading the Warriors to impressive wins. In the finals, the Warriors played for a total of 1200 minutes and scored a total of 608 points, 147 assists, and 229 total rebounds.
2018
The Golden State Warriors won their second-consecutive NBA Championship title in 2018. Steve Kerr used his exceptional coaching skills and basketball IQ to prepare for another ring. In the 2018 NBA Finals, the Warriors faced the Cavaliers and won all four of the games that were played. This was undeniably an interesting win and the team’s fans celebrated it widely.
During the finals, the San Francisco-based team played for a total of 985 minutes and posed 464 points, 111 assists, and 160 total rebounds. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry added 115 points and 110 points respectively and are the only two to add more than 100 points from the Warriors.
2022
The last NBA Championship ring that the Golden State Warriors won was in 2022. In the finals, they faced the Boston Celtics and won four games out of the six games that they played. The Warriors won the Game 6 by the final score of 103-90 and delivered one of the most iconic performances.
Furthermore, Steve Kerr who is renowned for the way he communicates and has open discussions with the players managed the roster perfectly. Under his guidance, the Warriors players are polishing their skills and becoming better players. In the 2022 NBA Finals, the team played for a total of 1440 minutes and scored 629 points, 141 assists, and 250 total rebounds.
Each of the Championship games that Kerr was a part of (be it as the player or head coach), had everyone hooked till the very last shot. His incredible basketball skills which he nurtured during his playing career, helped him to master the craft of coaching. Notably, his coaching career began in 2014 after he was appointed as the 24th head coach of the Warriors.
5 rings as a player.
4 rings as a coach.@SteveKerr is once again an NBA Champion! pic.twitter.com/QGzVD8ZCjj— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 20, 2022
He has a 71.5% win percentage which is among the high career win percentages of active NBA head coaches. In addition to this, he completed a decade of his coaching career this year. Despite this, he is nowhere near the NBA’s top earners. It is undeniable that the Warriors rose to be a celebrated team after Kerr came on board. Fans await to see how this journey moves forward and witness the winning games by the Warriors.