The N.B.A. Legend Steve Kerr
5/5/202628 min
Most basketball fans first took note of Steve Kerr when he played for the Chicago Bulls in the nineteen-nineties, but it’s through coaching that Kerr really came to the fore in the N.B.A. For more than twelve years, he’s led the Golden State Warriors to four titles, and a record seventy-three-win season, in 2016. He also took home an Olympic gold medal as the coach of the U.S. men’s team in 2024. Kerr has used his platform, at times, to wade into politics. He’s spoken at the Democratic National Convention, and his name comes up in conversations about candidates for higher office. He’s also been vocal about President Donald Trump, which is not without some risk. “Calling the President a buffoon? I kind of regret that, even though I felt it in my heart, even though a lot of people agreed with me,” Kerr tells the staff writer Charles Bethea.
Further reading:
- “Has Steve Kerr Had Enough?,” by Charles Bethea
- “U.S.A. Basketball Is Still an Awkward Fit at the Olympics,” by Louisa Thomas
New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:01
[upbeat music] The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC and The New Yorker.
David Remnick· Host0:07
This is The New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick. [gentle music] Basketball fans were first introduced to Steve Kerr as a three-point shooting specialist for the Chicago Bulls during the '90s in their championship runs. Playing alongside Michael Jordan, Kerr was by no means the star [laughs] of the Bulls, but he still holds the record for career three-point percentage. It's in coaching that Kerr has come to the fore in the NBA. Over 12 years, he's led the Golden State Warriors to four titles and a record 73-win season in 2016, still a remarkable record. He coached the men's Olympic team in 2024 that took home a gold medal. Kerr has also used his platform at times to wade into politics. He spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2024, and his name comes up sometimes in conversations about candidates for higher office. Charles Bethea, who's a staff writer at The New Yorker, went to see Steve Kerr the other day just after his team, the Warriors, finished their season.
Charles Bethea1:13
So there's some backstory to my meeting Steve. Back in 2018, I actually spent a couple days with his mother in the Pacific Palisades. I'd gone to watch her teach a class called Perceptions of the US Abroad, and