Kerr shares touching Popovich tribute before Warriors-Rockets game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — If not for Gregg Popovich, there might not be a Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
The longtime San Antonio Spurs coach, who stepped down from his position on Friday after 29 years, will take on a new role as the team’s president of basketball operations.
Popovich, 76, missed all but five games during the entire 2024-25 NBA season after suffering a stroke at the team’s arena on Nov. 2.
Kerr, who played for Popovich for four seasons from 1998-2001 and then again in the 2002-03 season, arrived at his pregame press conference before Game 6 of the first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Friday at Chase Center with a custom-made shirt dedicated to his longtime mentor and friend.
“Pop’s going to kill me for wearing this shirt. He’s going to call me a hapless rube for wearing this shirt,” Kerr joked.
Kerr then began his press conference with a touching tribute to Popovich, someone he believes has had a widespread impact on the NBA and basketball as a whole.
“I just want to say thank you to Pop and to the Spurs organization for everything they’ve meant to me and my career,” Kerr said. “I know this is a pretty emotional day for the Spurs. It is for the entire NBA. The number of people Pop has influenced. The number of coaches in his coaching tree, it’s just incredible. But Pop is one of the most important people in my life for many, many reasons, and most of them go way beyond basketball.
“It’s a sad day and it’s also an encouraging day, I think because this is a natural transition for him organizationally to move in to his next role. I think it also gives him the space and the time he needs to recover from the health issues. So I’ve got a lot of mixed emotions today, mainly just my love for Pop, my empathy for him for what he’s gone through for the Spurs organization. All of the above, and it’s still a very emotional day for everybody involved.”
Kerr, the former Spur and Chicago Bulls point guard, has had the fortune of playing for two of the most iconic coaches in league history in Popovich and Phil Jackson, whom he credits for transforming the role into the all-encompassing mentorship position it is today.
“I think Pop transformed coaching over the last 20 years,” Kerr explained. “I think it went from one era to the next with several coaches leading the way. I think Phil Jackson and Pop, and I know I’m biased for both of them, but each of them in their own way transformed the coaching profession into more than just X’s and O’s authoritarian figure to culture and collaboration and the unique chemistry great teams have. Those two guys, in my mind, helped create the current culture we’re in.”
Kerr has followed in Popovich’s footsteps both on and off the court, and similarly to his outspoken mentor, has not been shy about speaking up about political and societal issues he cares deeply about.
“He probably was one of the first coaches in the modern generation to really speak out on politics and social injustices,” Kerr added.
“I think Pop is in that Dean Smith mode of seeing the bigger picture beyond sports, and those are the coaches who really stand out to me, the guys who — and Phil, I immediately think of Phil in that regard — who recognize the importance of sports and yet the relative unimportance and find that balance and that perspective and make an impact societally. And that’s what Pop is.”
Kerr and Popovich have remained very close over the years, despite numerous on-court battles between the Western Conference foes.
The Warriors coach shared that he went to see Popovich three weeks ago before Golden State’s matchup against the Spurs on March 30 and the two have stayed in touch consistently since then.
With a win over the Rockets — led by coach Ime Udoka, another Popovich disciple — on Friday, Kerr and the Warriors will advance to the Western Conference semifinal round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While his focus remains on the task at hand, Kerr undoubtedly will be coaching with Popovich on his mind, and should Golden State advance further and further into the playoffs and potentially chase a fifth championship ring, Kerr could take another step closer to following in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer’s footsteps.
“So thank you, Pop. I’ll take the shirt off after,” Kerr joked. “Love you and see you soon.”
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Kerr shares touching Popovich tribute before Warriors-Rockets game
SAN FRANCISCO — If not for Gregg Popovich, there might not be a Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
The longtime San Antonio Spurs coach, who stepped down from his position on Friday after 29 years, will take on a new role as the team’s president of basketball operations.
Popovich, 76, missed all but five games during the entire 2024-25 NBA season after suffering a stroke at the team’s arena on Nov. 2.
SIGN UP HERE Kerr, who played for Popovich for four seasons from 1998-2001 and then again in the 2002-03 season, arrived to his pregame press conference prior to Game 6 of the first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Friday at Chase Center with a custom-made shirt dedicated to his longtime mentor and friend.
“Pop’s going to kill me for wearing this shirt. He’s going to call me a hapless rube for wearing this shirt,” Kerr joked.
Kerr then began his press conference with a touching tribute to Popovich, someone he believes has had a widespread impact on the NBA and basketball as a whole.
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“I just want to say thank you to Pop and to the Spurs organization for everything they’ve meant to me and my career,” Kerr said. “I know this is a pretty emotional day for the Spurs. It is for the entire NBA. The number of people Pop has influenced. The number of coaches in his coaching tree, it’s just incredible. But Pop is one of the most important people in my life for many, many reasons, and most of them go way beyond basketball.
“It’s a sad day and it’s also an encouraging day, I think because this is a natural transition for him organizationally to move in to his next role. I think it also gives him the space and the time he needs to recover from the health issues. So I’ve got a lot of mixed emotions today, mainly just my love for Pop, my empathy for him for what he’s gone through for the Spurs organization. All of the above, and it’s still a very emotional day for everybody involved.”
Kerr, the former Spur and Chicago Bulls point guard, has had the fortune of playing for two of the most iconic coaches in league history in Popovich and Phil Jackson, whom he credits for transforming the role into the all-encompassing mentorship position it is today.
“I think Pop transformed coaching over the last 20 years,” Kerr explained. “I think it went from one era to the next with several coaches leading the way. I think Phil Jackson and Pop, and I know I’m biased for both of them, but each of them in their own way transformed the coaching profession into more than just X’s and O’s authoritarian figure to culture and collaboration and the unique chemistry great teams have. Those two guys, in my mind, helped create the current culture we’re in.”
Kerr has followed in Popovich’s footsteps both on and off the court, and similarly to his outspoken mentor, has not been shy about speaking up about political and societal issues he cares deeply about.
“He probably was one of the first coaches in the modern generation to really speak out on politics and social injustices,” Kerr added.
“I think Pop is in that Dean Smith mode of seeing the bigger picture beyond sports, and those are the coaches who really stand out to me, the guys who — and Phil, I immediately think of Phil in that regard — who recognize the importance of sports and yet the relative unimportance and find that balance and that perspective and make an impact societally. And that’s what Pop is.”
Kerr and Popovich have remained very close over the years, despite numerous battles on the court between the two Western Conference foes.
The Warriors coach shared that he went to see Popovich three weeks ago before Golden State’s matchup against the Spurs on March 30 and the two have stayed in touch consistently since then.
With a win over the Rockets — led by coach Ime Udoka, another Popovich disciple — on Friday, Kerr and the Warriors will advance to the semifinal round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While his focus remains on the task at hand, Kerr undoubtedly will be coaching with Popovich on his mind, and should Golden State advance further and further into the playoffs and potentially chase a fifth championship ring, Kerr could take another step closer to following in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer’s footsteps.
“So thank you, Pop. I’ll take the shirt off after,” Kerr joked. “Love you and see you soon.”
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
