Pali High Alumnus Leads Bay Area Franchise to First Championship in 40 Years
Perhaps the best word to define Steve Kerr‘s career is “winner.”
When interviewed on the court moments after watching his team clinch the National Basketball Association championship, Golden State’s head coach paid homage to his mentors first. No one who knows him should be the least bit surprised, for Kerr’s inate ability to apply what he has learned from others has enabled him to reach the summit of his profession.
On Tuesday night the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 105-97, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to clinch their first title in 40 years, making Kerr the league’s first rookie head coach to win the crown since Pat Riley did so with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982.
“I’m thinking of Lute Olson,” said Kerr, giving credit to the coach he played for from 1983-88 at the University of Arizona. “I’m thinking of Phil Jackson, Lenny Wilkens, Gregg Popovich. I’ve been blessed to play for the greatest coaches ever, I’ve learned a ton from them and they’ve all helped me get here.”
Next, Kerr credited his players for a historic season in which Golden State won 67 of 82 regular-season games and went 16-5 in the playoffs.
“If you’re going to win a championship, you have to have guys willing to sacrifice,” he said. “This is about all these players. The pressure was on them and they responded. Top to bottom they embraced their roles and because of that they’ll always be remembered.”
Kerr grew up in Pacific Palisades and played baseball and basketball at Palisades High before graduating in 1983. He signed a five-year, $25-million contract with the Warriors last May and became the first rookie head coach in NBA history to win 19 of his first 21 games. The record was extended to 21 wins in 23 games and in April he established a new league mark for victories by a rookie coach with his 63rd in a 123-110 victory at Dallas.
The 49-year-old played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning five rings (three with the Chicago Bulls under Jackson and two more with the Spurs under Popovich). He was best known for his outside shooting and retired after the 2003 season as the league’s all-time leader in three-point shooting percentage for a season (.524 in 1994–95) and career (.454).
— Steve Galluzzo
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