| No. 4, 5, 2, 25 | |||||||||||||
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| Guard | |||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | September 27, 1965 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Beirut, Lebanon | ||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||
| High school | Pacific Palisades | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| College | Arizona | ||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1988 / Round: 2 / Pick: 50th overall | ||||||||||||
| Selected by the Phoenix Suns | |||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1988–2003 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Phoenix Suns | ||||||||||||
| 1989–1992 | Cleveland Cavaliers | ||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Orlando Magic | ||||||||||||
| 1993–1998 | Chicago Bulls | ||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||
| Points | 5,437 | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 1,060 | ||||||||||||
| Assists | 1,658 | ||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Stephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history.[1] Kerr is a five-time NBA champion, winning three consecutive championships with the Chicago Bulls from 1996 to 1998 and two championships with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003. He and Frank Saul are the only two players in the NBA history who won two championships with two different teams in consecutive seasons.[2]
On June 2, 2007, the Phoenix Suns named Kerr the team's President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. Kerr helped Managing Partner Robert Sarver buy the Suns in 2004 and became one of Sarver's trusted basketball advisors. Kerr announced his retirement from the Suns in June 2010.[3]
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The son of Malcolm Kerr, an American academic who specialized in the Middle East, Kerr spent much of his childhood in Lebanon and other Arab states. He attended Cairo American College in Egypt and Palisades High School (now Palisades Charter High School) in Pacific Palisades, California. On January 18, 1984, Kerr's father, who was then serving as president of the American University of Beirut, was assassinated by suspected militant nationalists in Beirut.[4]
Kerr was minimally recruited out of high school because he could not jump and was two steps slower than other point guards.[5] Kerr played basketball for the University of Arizona from 1983 to 1988. In summer 1986, Kerr was named to the USA Basketball team that competed in the FIBA World Championship in Spain. The team became the last American Men's Senior Team composed strictly of amateur players to capture a gold medal. Kerr injured his knee during the tournament, forcing him to miss an entire season (1986–87) at Arizona. After returning to the team, Kerr became a fan favorite due to his leadership and long-range shooting. He helped the Wildcats reach the Final Four of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament in 1988, along with future NBA teammate Sean Elliott, future NBA journeyman Tom Tolbert, and future Major League Baseball All-Star Kenny Lofton. He also set a NCAA record for three point percentage in a single season (114-199, 57.3%).
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-84 | Arizona | 28 | … | 22.6 | .516 | … | .692 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 7.1 |
| 1984-85 | Arizona | 31 | … | 33.4 | .568 | … | .803 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 10.0 |
| 1985-86 | Arizona | 32 | … | 38.4 | .540 | … | .899 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 14.4 |
| 1986-87 | Arizona | Redshirt | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … |
| 1987-88 | Arizona | 38 | … | 32.6 | .559 | .573 | .824 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 12.6 |
| Career[6] | … | 129 | … | 32.1 | .548 | .573 | .815 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 11.2 |
Kerr was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 1988 NBA Draft, but was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989. He spent over three seasons (1989 to 1992) there, and then part of the 1992–93 season with the Orlando Magic. In 1993, he signed with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls made the playoffs in the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons, but without Michael Jordan's presence for all of 1994 and much of 1995, though, they could not advance to the Finals. However, with Jordan back fulltime for the 1995–96 season, the Bulls went an NBA-record 72–10 and defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA championship.
Kerr played a major part of the Bulls' victory in the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. In the final seconds of Game 6, with the score tied at 86, he took a pass from Michael Jordan and hit the game-clinching shot. The Bulls won the game, earning back-to-back championships for the first time in four seasons. Kerr also won the 3-Point Shootout at the 1997 All-Star Game.
In the last minute of Game 2 of the 1998 Finals series against Utah, he missed a three-pointer, grabbed his own rebound and laid it to Michael Jordan who scored an easy lay-up. The play helped Chicago win this game and even the series at 1–1. The Bulls won the series in six games.
During the 1998 off-season, Kerr was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, where he spent the rest of his career, save for the 2001–02 season with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Spurs made it to the Finals for the first time in their history, and Kerr won his fourth ring in a row when the Spurs beat the New York Knicks for the 1999 NBA championship. He is the only non-Boston Celtic to win four straight NBA titles.
In the 2003 playoffs, Kerr made key contributions in Game Six of the Spurs' Western Conference Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks. Among those were four clutch three-pointers that helped to eliminate the Mavericks. The Spurs eventually won the NBA championship that year by beating the New Jersey Nets in a six-game Finals series, led by Kerr, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili, among others.
Kerr ended his career as a dependable bench player who could make jump shots and three-pointers in critical moments. Even when he was with the Chicago Bulls, and both he and Michael Jordan were on the floor at the same time, when a free throw had to be taken due to a technical foul, Kerr was usually the one to take the shot.
Kerr announced his retirement after the 2003 NBA Finals. He played 910 regular season games but started only 30, 20 of them in the 1991–92 season. His career totals are: 5,437 points (6 ppg), 1,060 rebounds (1.2 rpg), and 1,658 assists (1.8 apg). He also retired as the league's all-time leader in three-point shooting percentage for a season (.524 in 1994–95) and career (.454).
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-89 | Phoenix | 26 | 0 | 6.0 | .435 | .471 | .667 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.1 |
| 1989-90 | Cleveland | 78 | 5 | 21.3 | .444 | .507 | .863 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 6.7 |
| 1990-91 | Cleveland | 57 | 4 | 15.9 | .444 | .452 | .849 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 4.8 |
| 1991-92 | Cleveland | 48 | 20 | 17.6 | .511 | .432 | .833 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 6.6 |
| 1992-93 | Cleveland / Orlando | 52 | 0 | 9.3 | .434 | .231 | .917 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.6 |
| 1993-94 | Chicago | 82 | 0 | 24.8 | .497 | .419 | .856 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 8.6 |
| 1994-95 | Chicago | 82 | 0 | 22.4 | .527 | .524 | .778 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 8.2 |
| 1995-96 | Chicago | 82 | 0 | 23.4 | .506 | .515 | .929 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 8.4 |
| 1996-97 | Chicago | 82 | 0 | 22.7 | .533 | .464 | .806 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 8.1 |
| 1997-98 | Chicago | 50 | 0 | 22.4 | .454 | .438 | .918 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 7.5 |
| 1998-99 | San Antonio | 44 | 0 | 16.7 | .391 | .313 | .886 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 4.4 |
| 1999-00 | San Antonio | 32 | 0 | 8.4 | .432 | .516 | .818 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| 2000-01 | San Antonio | 55 | 1 | 11.8 | .421 | .429 | .933 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.3 |
| 2001-02 | Portland | 65 | 0 | 11.9 | .470 | .394 | .975 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 4.1 |
| 2002-03 | San Antonio | 75 | 0 | 12.7 | .430 | .395 | .882 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Career[7] | … | 910 | 30 | 17.8 | .479 | .454 | .864 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 6.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-90 | Cleveland | 5 | … | 14.6 | .286 | .000 | … | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| 1991-92 | Cleveland | 12 | … | 12.4 | .439 | .273 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.7 |
| 1993-94 | Chicago | 10 | … | 18.6 | .361 | .375 | 1.000 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| 1994-95 | Chicago | 10 | … | 19.3 | .475 | .421 | 1.000 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 5.1 |
| 1995-96 | Chicago | 18 | … | 19.8 | .448 | .321 | .871 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 6.8 |
| 1996-97 | Chicago | 19 | … | 17.9 | .429 | .381 | .929 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 5.0 |
| 1997-98 | Chicago | 21 | … | 19.8 | .434 | .463 | .818 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4.9 |
| 1998-99 | San Antonio | 11 | … | 8.8 | .267 | .231 | .833 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| 2000-01 | San Antonio | 9 | … | 11.2 | .480 | .333 | .500 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 3.3 |
| 2001-02 | Portland | 3 | … | 13.0 | .429 | .250 | 1.000 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 6.3 |
| 2002-03 | San Antonio | 10 | … | 4.6 | .636 | .833 | .750 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| Career[8] | … | 128 | … | 15.6 | .426 | .370 | .876 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 4.3 |
From 2003 to 2007, Kerr was a broadcast analyst for Turner Network Television (TNT), offering commentary alongside renowned analyst Marv Albert. During his tenure he performed a segment sponsored by Coors Light called Steve's Refreshing Thoughts in which he brought up interesting facts in NBA history. In the same time period, Kerr also contributed to Yahoo! as an NBA commentator.
He has provided his voice for the in-game commentary of EA Sports video games NBA Live 06, NBA Live 07, NBA Live 08, NBA Live 09 and NBA Live 10 with Albert. In 2011 he provided his voice as color commentator for NBA 2K12.
It was confirmed on June 28, 2010 that he would return as an NBA analyst for TNT starting with the 2010-11 NBA season.[9] Starting in 2011, Kerr will call the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship on Turner Sports and CBS, teaming up with lead broadcasters Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg for the First Four and Final Four games, and with Albert in other rounds.
On April 15, 2004, Kerr was announced as a member of a potential group of buyers that would acquire his old team, the Suns, from Jerry Colangelo for US$300 million. He became part of Suns management, acting as a consultant.[10][11]
On June 2, 2007, Kerr announced his departure from his broadcasting position at TNT and his commentating position at Yahoo! to assume duties as the general manager of the Phoenix Suns beginning with the 2007–2008 season. He replaced Mike D'Antoni.
On Feb 6, 2008, reports surfaced that Kerr was planning to trade Phoenix Suns forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks to the Miami Heat in exchange for Shaquille O'Neal, which he did. The Suns were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
On December 10, 2008, Kerr continued to remake the Suns roster by trading away Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean Singletary to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley, and the Charlotte Bobcats 2010 Second Round draft pick.[12]
On June 25, 2009, Kerr decided to trade the 5th all time leading scorer, Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a future second-round draft pick and cash.
On May 5, 2010, the Suns wore Los Suns jerseys in Game 2 against the Spurs as to be united against the controversial Arizona immigration law. Kerr himself compared the law to Nazi Germany.[13]
On June 15, 2010 Kerr stepped down as President and GM of the Suns.
Kerr and Robert Horry, another famous reserve player and clutch shooter, alternated NBA Championships for a decade, and combined to win 12 championships over a 14-year period. Either Horry or Kerr was on the roster of an NBA Finals team from the 1993-94 season through the 2002-03 season, with every one resulting in a victory. Horry's teams were victorious in the NBA Finals in 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2007, while Kerr's teams were winners in the NBA Finals in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2003. Each won three titles playing for Phil Jackson-coached teams and two with the San Antonio Spurs.