Steve Kerr was one of the most wondrous figures in NBA history and although he was by no means a star, his performance career was extremely productive.
At this point, Steve Kerr may be best known for his tenure as head coach for the Golden State Warriors.
As Greg Popovich acknowledged Tim Duncan’s success, Kerr would do exactly the same thing as Stephen Curry, but his coaching talent should not be underestimated.
He worked for TNT before he took over as head coach. Yahoo! He was a commentator and analyst and an executive for the Phoenix Suns.
As a player, he has won five rings for the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, remaining the most accurate 3-point shooter in NBA history. On August 7, 2003, he announced his retirement after 15 seasons.
Kerr played in four seasons at the University of Arizona, creating the All Pac-12 team twice. However, the only claim to fame was shooting, with the NCAA not implementing the three-point line until his final season. That didn’t stop him from shooting 57.3% from the deep.
Kerr was selected as the 50th overall in the 1988 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, he played just 26 games for the Suns and appeared poised to have a short, forgettable career.
Translated from the university, his shooting power lives on his career, and he will have stints with the Suns, Bulls, Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers.
He averaged more than 25 minutes or more in a game, but his career mark at 45.4% from his career remains an NBA record, and he appears to have found himself at the right time, winning five titles next to Duncan and Michael Jordan.
Calling Kerr the “final riser” doesn’t make much sense. Thanks to his counting statistics, they’ve gotten much worse in the finals than in the regular season. However, his undefeated 5-0 record as a player suggests that he was the best when it was counted.
| span | ppg | APG | RPG | FG% | 3pt% |
| Regular season | 6.0 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 47.9% | 45.4% |
| NBA Finals | 3.6 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 63.0% | 27.7% |
Of course, it’s easy to praise Carr’s full of Rings to Jordan, Duncan, Scotty Pippen and Dennis Rodman, but there’s arguing that not all of those players are legends that were without Carr.
In Game 6 of the 1997 final, Kerr hit a jump shot and rose twice in the final seconds to win the final. Had that game been lost, the Utah Jazz could have easily won Game 7.
The 1997 shot was most famous for Kerr, but it wasn’t his only clutch basket. In a decided game six in the 2003 Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Kerr created all three pointers in the fourth quarter, bringing the Spurs to a 90-78 victory, winning the final ring of their playing career that season.
When the team needed a bucket, Kerr knew that he was the best option in the league and that some of the best teams of all time could count on him.