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| Suns Co-Owner & Turner
Sports Analyst Steve Kerr |
STEVE KERR established his shooting credentials during four years at the Univ. of Arizona before moving on to the NBA in ‘88 as a second-round draft choice of the Suns. Fifteen years later, the undersized (6-1, 180) guard retired with five NBA rings (three with the MICHAEL JORDAN-led Bulls and two with the TIM DUNCAN-centered Spurs. A long-range marksman, Kerr is the NBA’s most accurate three-point shooter for a single season (52.4% in ‘94-95) and career (45.4%). He is a minority owner and consultant with the Suns and a TV analyst for Turner Sports. Kerr spoke recently with SportsBusiness Bureau N.Y. bureau chief Jerry Kavanagh.
Q: STEPHON MARBURY said, “Point guards are born. They’re delivered by God. You can’t make point guards.” Where do shooting guards come from?
Kerr: (laughing) Shooting guards come from long hours in the gym. KIKI VANDEWEGHE was once asked when he was at UCLA why he didn’t have a tan, and he said, “The sun doesn’t shine in the gym.”
Q: You competed at a high level in college and in the NBA in a big-man’s game. How were you able to accomplish all that you did?
Kerr: Gosh, I’m not quite sure, really. When I set out in the NBA, I was just hoping to make the team in Phoenix in my rookie year and maybe play for a few years. I never imagined I would play for this long and play on championship teams. I think it’s a combination of good fortune, a lot of hard work — I really worked at it — and I was in the right spots with the right teams and the right coaches, and things broke my way.
Q: Univ. of Arizona coach LUTE OLSON said, “Few people have ever risen to the occasion more often than Steve Kerr.”
Kerr: That’s very kind of him to say considering that I had my worst game as a player in the Final Four for Arizona. He’s one of my biggest supporters, and he’s really probably the main reason that all of this has happened to me. I wasn’t recruited very heavily out of high school, and he gave me the chance to play basketball and go to school at Arizona. And it was at a time when he was turning the program around, so I was there from the beginning with him. I was very fortunate to have that experience and to end up playing on great teams with him and learning so much about the game and about life. He really kind of set everything in motion for me in my career.
Q: Have the game and the business of basketball changed much since you broke into the NBA?
Kerr: Oh, yeah. The game and the business have changed dramatically. Obviously the money has grown in every aspect: salaries, ticket prices, sponsorships. It’s really amazing. When I came into the league in 1988, there were three new arenas: Detroit, Miami and Charlotte. And ten years later, the Miami and Charlotte arenas were outdated because they didn’t build sky boxes. Detroit was the only one that showed the foresight that would be necessary to generate revenue. To me, that just shows the dramatic change in the business of basketball from the late ’80s until now. It all became so much more revenue-generated. There were so many different ways to do that, to generate the revenue, but you had to have the right facilities to be able to do so.
Q: In the commencement address you delivered at the Univ. of Arizona last spring (http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/wildcats/22570.php), you spoke to the graduates about responsibility and about contributing to the community. Are pro athletes socially conscious? Should they be?
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| Kerr Feels NBA Does A Good Job Making
Players Aware Of Community Outreach |
Kerr: They should be, and I think a lot of them are. The NBA does a nice job of helping players become aware of their communities and the communities’ needs. Certainly there are players who don’t have that understanding, but I think there are an awful lot who do. It’s an interesting dynamic because you have so many young players coming into the league now: 18 years old, right out of high school. I didn’t feel like I had a whole lot of social awareness, community awareness, at 18. It’s something you learn as you mature, and I think college is a big step in that regard. My experience in college opened up my eyes. A lot of the NBA players don’t have that experience and, so, I think it is up to the NBA and to the teams to try to help the players understand the values that they have in their communities.
Q: Should the NBA have an age minimum?
Kerr: I believe there should be an age minimum of, say, 20. I think that most players aren’t physically ready. Some are. Obviously LEBRON JAMES, KEVIN GARNETT, KOBE BRYANT — those guys are ready physically. I don’t know if any of them are ready emotionally and socially. If more kids would spend a year or two in college, I think it would really help. Those who didn’t choose to go to college would probably play in a minor league, a developmental league, which would give a much greater sense of perspective to these guys. Instead of coming right in and making millions of dollars, they’d have to suffer a little bit. And I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
Q: What’s the biggest challenge facing the NBA?
Kerr: I think there are a lot of challenges. The age gap is definitely one of them — just addressing the maturity of players. That’s probably No. 1. No. 2 is the ticket prices. It’s become so expensive to go to a game that, in a lot of ways, a lot of people in this country are just priced right out of a game, so they rely on television and the Internet. We have to maintain a connection with our fan base and not just corporate America, who is buying all the tickets.
Q: Does the game need any changes?
Kerr: I love the changes that the NBA has made the last few years. I love the zone defense. I think it’s been very beneficial to the league. It has allowed teams to play their skill players more and not worry about the size so much. It used to be that you had to have a big seven-foot guy out on the floor to cover the other team’s seven-foot guy. And you couldn’t do anything defensively to help. But now with the zone, you can do all kinds of things to help. I would like to see a continued emphasis on movement away from the ball. A lot of our young players have basically been raised to handle the ball, and they don’t know how to play without it. Watching the Olympics last summer and watching a lot of the great European players in the NBA right now, it’s very obvious to me that players overseas have a better understanding of playing without the ball and moving without the ball. I’d like to see that become more of an emphasis. But it has to happen at our younger levels, not just at the NBA level.
Q: JOE DUMARS of the Detroit Pistons has talked about the need for a greater emphasis on fundamentals at the youth levels.
Kerr: Yeah, and it’s all tied together. The kids watch the NBA players and emulate them, so it’s up to us, too. There’s work to be done at all levels.
Q: Do you have any suggestions for the commissioner?
Kerr: I think DAVID STERN does a pretty good job. He’s one of the best commissioners professional sports has ever known, and he doesn’t need my advice.
Q: Are there any athletes today you particularly admire?
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| Former Teammate Duncan One
Of Kerr's Favorite Players |
Kerr: I’m biased toward some of the guys I’ve played with, but Tim Duncan stands out immediately. There’s something about humble superstars that appeals to me. GRANT HILL is another one: the way he persevered and has come back from his injuries. And he does so in such a graceful manner. STEVE NASH with the Suns. I just love to watch him play. I think the NBA has a really bright future: a lot of great young players and great young people. It’s up to our league and the teams in The league to help promote that.
Q: This season there have been a couple of black eyes for the sport. For example, the brawl at the Pacers-Pistons game. How serious has that been, and can The damage be repaired?
Kerr: It’s been very serious, and I do think it can be repaired. My initial reaction with the brawl was that the punishment was too severe. Now that I’ve had a chance to really reflect on it, I think [David Stern] was absolutely right. He needed to regain the confidence of the fans. The fans needed to know that this kind of thing just could not happen. And I really believe that because of the severity of the punishment, I don’t think players will go into the stands again. It’s such a risk, when you’re talking about your career and the money involved. Most players only play for a few short years. I really think the punishment served a purpose, and I do think that the game will recover. I think it already has. Attendance is still pretty good. And as I said, there are a lot of very good people in this league and I think time will heal some of those wounds.
Q: You have an ownership stake in the Phoenix Suns. How did that come about?
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| Kerr Instrumental In Opening
Up NBA's Doors For Sarver |
Kerr: Yes, I am a very small owner. The new owner, ROBERT SARVER, was introduced to me by Lute Olson. Sarver is a Univ. of Arizona guy, and he approached Lute about buying a team. He wanted to know if Lute had connections in the NBA, wanted to know if he had any advice. Lute pointed him to me. Really, I had no intention on going in on the deal with him. I was just trying to open the right doors for him. I took him to New York and we went to see David Stern, and Stern directed him to Phoenix. We made it up to JERRY COLANGELO’s office. Robert’s an amazing guy, and an aggressive guy. He hammered out a deal pretty quickly. The timing was perfect. Robert has an Arizona background, so it was really a perfect fit.
Q: What’s your role with the Suns?
Kerr: Robert asked me to be a part of it, so I invested. My role is mainly as a consultant. I didn’t want to give up my job at Turner Sports. I love the television analyst job. I worked it out with Turner. As long as I was basically just a consultant, as long as I didn’t have a position with the team, they were comfortable with it. MAGIC JOHNSON does the same thing: He’s an analyst with Turner and he’s part owner of the Lakers.
Q: There’s no conflict of interest?
Kerr: No. I feel totally comfortable broadcasting games involving any teams. Last year I did 20 or more Spurs games. Probably 10 of them for TNT, and those [players on the Spurs] were all of my best friends. You know, guys I had just played with the year before. I felt totally comfortable if I had to criticize them or critique them. That was my job. And I feel the same way if it involves the Suns. I told people, “It’s not Wall Street. Nobody’s money is on the line. Nobody’s getting hurt by a conflict of interest. It’s just basketball.” My job is to comment. I’m comfortable with it, Turner’s comfortable with it and Robert Sarver’s comfortable with it, so we’re all on the same page.
Q: Do you have any decision-making authority with the Suns?
Kerr: No. I have an advisory role to Robert. So, when the [Suns] are making a decision of any sort — whether it’s NBA-related, business-related, personnel-related — he’ll usually call me and ask me what I think. I don’t make any decisions on the organization, but I do advise Robert on issues that he approaches me with.
Q: Your experience, as a former player, is valuable to him?
Kerr: I think it is valuable. I have a really good knowledge of the league and the league’s players and the way the business operates. At the same time, for me, it’s an excellent opportunity to see the other side of the business and to sit in on some meetings and see how marketing programs will work or the ticket sales campaign. Those are things the players are never party to, so it’s been interesting for me to get a little background there.
Q: Would you ever consider running for public office?
Kerr: (laughing) I’ve never really given it any thought, but thanks for the plug.
Q: You played for coaches Lute Olson, PHIL JACKSON, and GREGG POPOVICH, and now you’re working with MARV ALBERT. Is it all games and fun?
Kerr: It is. It’s great fun. I really do feel like throughout my career that I’ve been thrown alongside these legends. It happened again in the broadcasting. I thought it couldn’t happen again with the luck I had playing next to Jordan, [SCOTTIE] PIPPEN, Duncan and [DAVID] ROBINSON and [for coaches] Jackson, Popovich and LENNY WILKENS. I’ve been put next to all these Hall of Famers, and the first day I’m in the broadcast booth, I’m next to Marv Albert. So, I’m living right, I guess.
Q: Do we have enough time-outs in basketball?
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| Despite Large Revenue Component, Kerr
Would Like To See Fewer Time-Outs |
Kerr: We have too many time-outs in basketball. I understand that it’s a big part of the revenue that’s generated that pays all of our salaries, whether it’s players or media or whoever. But when I watch a European league basketball game, or an Olympic game last summer, it’s beautiful to see the fluidity that goes with the lack of time-outs and the flow of the game. It’s something I wish we could have.
Q: What in basketball would you not miss if it were eliminated?
Kerr: That little circle underneath the basket where the players take charges. I wouldn’t miss the circuses that go on at halftime of NBA games. I wouldn’t miss time-outs.
Q: Wouldn’t basketball be interesting if it were like soccer, with a continuous running clock?
Kerr: Oh, absolutely. It would be great. It’s just not going to happen.
Q: You were twice named to the NBA All-Interview second-team. What does it take to make first team?
Kerr: I should have been more obnoxious, I guess.
Q: The kids in the school yards all want to be like Mike. But for the old-school players, the guys who can’t dunk and are forever working on their shot, you might be their fantasy player.
Kerr: I don’t know if I’m the fantasy player. I think I’m the reality player. I think a lot of people can relate to me because of all the things I can’t do, and I think they’re able to conceive that maybe they could have done it if the right breaks had happened. But they look at Michael Jordan and there’s no hope.
Q: What is your favorite vacation spot?
Kerr: Hawaii.
Q: What is your favorite band?
Kerr: Counting Crows.
Q: Who is your favorite author?
Kerr: PAT CONROY.
Q: What is your favorite movie?
Kerr: “The Shawshank Redemption.”
Q: What is the best basketball movie?
Kerr: “One On One.”
Q: What is the worst basketball movie?
Kerr: “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh”
Q: Were you in “Blue Chips?”
Kerr: No. That wasn’t real good either.
Q: Who is your favorite sportswriter?
Kerr: JOHN FEINSTEIN.
Q: Who is the smartest player you ever played with?
Kerr: Scottie Pippen
Q: Who is the most colorful trash talker you played with?
Kerr: Michael Jordan
