Steve Kerr established his shooting credentials during four years at the University of Arizona before moving
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| Despite retiring from the NBA, Kerr still gets plenty of hoops in his life. |
on to the NBA in 1988 as a second-round draft choice of the Phoenix Suns. Fifteen years later, the undersized (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) guard retired with five NBA rings (three with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls and two with Tim Duncan and San Antonio Spurs). A long-range marksman, Kerr is the NBA’s most-accurate three-point shooter for a single season (52.4 percent in 1994-95) and career (45.4 percent). He is a minority owner and consultant with the Suns and a TV analyst for Turner Sports. Kerr spoke recently with SportsBusiness Journal New York bureau chief Jerry
Kavanagh.
Birthplace: Beirut, Lebanon
Favorite vacation spot: Hawaii
Favorite band: Counting Crows
Favorite author: Pat Conroy
Favorite movie: “The Shawshank Redemption”
Best basketball movie: “One on One”
Worst basketball movie: “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh”
Favorite sportswriter: John Feinstein
Favorite quote: My dad once told me that I was a modest fellow with plenty to be modest about.
Smartest player: Scottie Pippen
Most colorful trash talker: Michael Jordan
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.”
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.
In the commencement address you delivered at the University of Arizona last spring (http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/wildcats/22570.php), you spoke about responsibility and about contributing to the community. Are pro athletes socially conscious? Should they be?
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.
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.
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.
Are there any athletes today you particularly admire?
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.
This season there have been a couple of black eyes for the sport. For example, the brawl at the Pistons-Pacers 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.
You have an ownership stake in the Phoenix Suns. How did that come about?
Kerr: The new owner, Robert Sarver, was introduced to me by [Arizona men’s basketball coach] Lute Olson. Sarver is a University 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 of 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Look for more of this conversation in our sister publication, The Sports Business Daily, located at www.sportsbusinessdaily.com.
