“Would’ve been like every other NBA coach”: Steve Kerr credits his success to Steph Curry in glowing tribute to Warriors superstar’s greatness

The 2024-25 season was the 11th year together for coach Steve Kerr and Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry. Kerr, who turned down the New York Knicks’ coaching job in 2014, has built a dynasty with Curry and Co. in the NBA. The Warriors are looking for their fifth championship in the Kerr-Curry era next season.

On the “Glue Guys Podcast” on Saturday, Kerr opened up about his partnership with the two-time NBA MVP:

“If I didn’t have Steph [Curry], I would have been like every other NBA coach and lasted a few years and gone somewhere else. I’m incredibly lucky to have this partnership with Steph. He provides stability and continuity with the organization that makes everybody’s job easier.”

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In 2014, the legendary Phil Jackson, who coached Steve Kerr in Chicago, asked him to coach the New York Knicks. Jackson wanted Kerr, a practitioner of the triangle offense, to lead the franchise back to relevance. New York’s loss was Golden State’s gain as the former sharpshooting guard took his talents to San Francisco.

Early this year, in the “Willard and Dibs” show, Kerr said that he would have been “fired” in two weeks by the Knicks. He said he saw himself doing television had he not decided to coach Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

With Steve Kerr at the helm, the Warriors won the 2015 NBA championship and added three more to the tally by 2022. Over the years, the coach has attributed his success to Curry.

Steve Kerr said Steph Curry’s Team USA teammates deferred to Warriors superstar in clutch Olympic moments

Steve Kerr’s partnership with Steph Curry extended to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. After USA Basketball named the Golden State Warriors coach Gregg Popovich’s successor, Kerr promptly invited his Warriors point guard to make his Olympic debut.

Kerr brought a lineup that included LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum and others, making them heavy favorites for the gold medal. Despite the star-studded lineup, the team nearly fell to host France in the championship game.

Steve Kerr had this to say on the "Glue Guys Podcast" about who Team USA looked up to during the crucial moments of the tournament:

“First of all, I refer to him as Stephen Motherf**king Curry. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when you see him do his stuff. … On a team with some of the all-time greats, they were all deferring to him!”

Steph Curry dragged the Americans to the gold-medal finish by hitting multiple clutch 3-pointers late against France. Despite having a front-court ticket to Curry’s heroics for over a decade, Kerr remains in awe of his prized point guard.

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About the author

Michael Macasero

Michael Macasero brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his coverage of basketball at Sportskeeda with over 18 years of diverse work experience. This includes stints at Convergys, Interpace and RunRepeat.

Michael's background in English and Journalism has provided him with the analytical skills and precision necessary for creating content, and he is a lifelong fan of the Boston Celtics. His favorite players include legends like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, modern stars like Tim Duncan, and Nikola Jokic, as well as emerging talent like Victor Wembanyama.

Michael respects Gregg Popovich, despite his contentious demeanor in interviews, and recognizes Popovich's genius in adapting his coaching style to maximize the talent on his roster over the years. Michael eagerly anticipates seeing how Popovich will structure the offense around emerging talent like Victor Wembanyama.

Understanding the story and details is crucial to Michael's reporting philosophy and he believes overlooking details, particularly when pressed for time, can lead to misunderstandings and inaccurate conclusions.

Aside from work, Michael's children are his hobbies, and he also likes to go running, swimming and weightlifting.

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