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Less than two weeks after leading Team USA to a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, head coach Steve Kerr went to bat for U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention.
The Warriors coach faced backlash for one specific part of his August 19 speech in which he said it took courage on his part to speak about politics, especially given that he’s an outsider from the world of sports.
Ben Shapiro, a conservative commentator and co-founder of The Daily Wire, called Kerr “a coward” for claiming courage but refusing in 2020 to take a stand on the NBA‘s relationship with China.
“What a brave, courageous fellow that Steve Kerr is,” Shapiro said on his daily podcast with a hint of sarcasm before showing a clip of Kerr talking to reporters in 2020. “Now that’s courage, by which I mean what a coward.”
In the clip, Kerr dodged a reporter’s question about a controversial pro-Hong Kong tweet by Daryl Morey, then general manager of the Houston Rockets, that led to the NBA losing millions of dollars worth of business in China.
Kerr had declined to speak on the matter, calling it a “really, bizarre international story” that he wasn’t informed about.
Besides Shapiro, the Trump campaign’s War Room account on X implied that Kerr was a hypocrite for choosing to speak on political issues.
Outkick’s Clay Travis also called out Kerr, claiming a double standard.
Steve Kerr Invokes Steph Curry
“I know very well that speaking out about politics these days comes with risks,” Kerr said at the United Center, where he captured three consecutive championships with the Bulls between 1995 and 1998. “I can see the ‘shut up and whistle’ tweets being fired off as we speak. But I also knew, as soon as I was asked, that it was too important as an American citizen not to speak up in an election of this magnitude.”
Kerr concluded his speech by borrowing Steph Curry‘s signature “night, night” gesture.
“After the [election] results are tallied, we can, in the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump, ‘Night, night,'” Kerr said.
The full speech can be seen below.
Later in the evening, Democrats, including former President Obama, praised Kerr’s speech.
“Let’s go, Coach Kerr! Thanks for bringing home the gold for Team USA, and for your leadership at a crucial moment for our country,” Obama tweeted.
“It’s newsworthy that Steve Kerr just said he plans to spend the next 80 days helping the Harris/Walz ticket win,” tweeted MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle.
Steve Kerr to Step Down as Team USA Coach
Despite winning an Olympic gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Kerr is expected to step down from the role ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, per several insiders.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, two of Kerr’s assistants at the Paris Games are earmarked as candidates to succeed him as the next head coach of Team USA.
“The first candidate is none other than Erik Spoelstra, the current head coach of the Miami Heat and also a gold medal winner in Paris,” Stein wrote in his substack. “The other is Tyronn Lue, head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers and a former assistant to Kerr at the recent Olympics.”
Besides the Team USA exit, Kerr’s time coaching the Warriors could also be drawing to a close in the near future.
The player-turned-coach signed a two-year contract extension in February 2024 to stay with the franchise until the end of the 2025-26 season. Many analysts believe Kerr’s contract extension was structured in line with Stephen Curry’s deal, which also expires at the end of the 2025-26 season. That both contracts expire together could be a sign of the legendary player-coach tandem riding off into the sunset together, or at least planning their exits from the Bay Area, per several insiders.
Kerr will coach the Warriors for the 11th consecutive season during the 2024-25 campaign. He captured an NBA championship in his debut season in 2014-15.
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