Steve Kerr was perhaps the only person happy to see Michael Jordan walk away from the Chicago Bulls and basketball.
It’s easy to forget sometimes, given how great of a head coach he is, but Steve Kerr had an amazing NBA career.
While he was never an All-Star, Kerr was one of the greatest NBA role players in history. During his time with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, Kerr won five NBA championships.
Before Stephen Curry made three-point shooting popular, his head coach was considered the best shooter from range in the entire league.
But according to the man himself, much of Kerr’s success came about because of Michael Jordan’s shocking decision to retire in 1993.
Photo by G Fiume/Getty ImagesSteve Kerr says Michael Jordan retiring allowed him to succeed with Chicago Bulls
Steve Kerr spoke on the Glue Guys podcast recently. When reflecting on his playing career, the former Chicago Bulls star made an interesting admission.
Kerr noted that Michael Jordan’s retirement allowed him to have more leeway on the Chicago Bulls, and it set him up well to re-establish his career.
“Yeah. So, it actually was to my benefit in some ways that he went because it opened up a bunch of playing time. It was bad for the rest of the Bulls and their fan base, but it was good for me.
“No, that’s kind of where I reestablished my career. It was my fifth year, and I was probably on my way out of the league.
“But you know, to step in there and learn from Phil and play with Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant and Bill Cartwright, these champions changed my whole career.”
Steve Kerr reflects on three-peat with Chicago Bulls dynasty
Of course, Steve Kerr did get to play with Michael Jordan when he returned. The Golden State Warriors head coach explained how his experience allowed him to gel very well with Jordan and the rest of the Bulls.
“And then, of course, Michael came back two years later and we started winning, you know, winning again.
“So it was, you know, what I learned was it’s a lot easier to develop a role, on a great team with great players than on an average team, you know, where everybody’s just kind of confused as to, you know, who’s the man and all that stuff.
“The hierarchy in Chicago allowed me, and the offense allowed me to just plug right in.”
Of course, Kerr and Jordan famously didn’t get off to the best start. Jordan once punched Kerr during Bulls practice after a heated altercation.
But the two were able to put their issues behind them. Kerr became one of the rare players that Jordan would trust to take the last shot.
In the 1997 NBA Finals, Jordan passed the ball to Steve Kerr, who made an incredible shot to sink the Utah Jazz and help the Bulls lift their fifth NBA championship.