Warriors’ Steve Kerr Wins NBA Coach Of The Year Award

Steve Kerr has been named the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award after leading the Golden State Warriors to the best regular-season record in league history.

Warriors’ Steve Kerr Wins NBA Coach Of The Year Award

Kerr received 64 first-place votes from the panel of 130 media members who regularly cover the NBA, and accepted the award in an emotional press conference on Tuesday. Kerr shared the stage with Golden State General Manager Bob Myers and assistant coach Luke Walton, his boss and his employee, respectively.

“One of our approaches as a team is to enjoy the process and to take joy out of what we’re doing,” Kerr stated. “We’re among the luckiest people on earth. We really are. To play basketball for a living and coach basketball for a living and play in front of fans and on TV — we live the dreams of most people in the world.

“We actually have to live that. And so you have to deal with the adversity that comes along with that. There’s plenty of it. In the grand scheme of things, in terms of life, these are minor things, but they are big deals for the individuals and the teams involved.”

The Portland Trail Blazers’ Terry Stotts was second for the award in relatively close voting, and the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich came in third.

Kerr ran a campaign against himself in order to not win the award, openly arguing that someone else deserved the title. Kerr believed it was absurd for him to receive official credit for Golden State’s final regular-season record, given that he missed the team’s first 43 games this season while recovering from back surgeries. Walton took over for Kerr during his absence. The panel noted Walton’s work as well: he ended up being tied for eighth place in the voting.

“It’s the hardest year of my life,” Kerr explained on the stage with regards to his back injuries. “Not even close.” He also stated that he’s “incredibly lucky to have this amazing family.” Then, fighting back tears, Kerr added “And all these beautiful people around me, and Bob went from being my general manager, a guy I worked with, to a guy I leaned on every day when I was struggling with my pain.”

“When I was really struggling, Bob called me every single day and offered his support,” Kerr continued. “And if I didn’t have Bob and I didn’t have Margot [Kerr’s wife] and my kids and I didn’t have my team to come back and coach — boy, it was rough. It was really rough. So, the friendship Bob has given me, and the support goes way beyond basketball. And it will last a lifetime.”

“Nothing’s guaranteed,” Kerr then added when asked how he thought star guard Stephen Curry’s knee injury could affect the team.

The Warriors finished 73-9 this season, breaking the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ all-time NBA record of 72-10. Kerr previously played for the Bulls.