{"id":857854,"date":"2026-10-13T13:07:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T13:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/857854\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:07:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T13:07:03","slug":"step-inside-steve-kerrs-classroom-with-khalid-robinson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/857854\/","title":{"rendered":"Step inside Steve Kerr\u2019s \u2018classroom\u2019 with Khalid Robinson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deivon Smith had started strong in the California Classic but slipped out of Khalid Robinson\u2019s Warriors Summer League rotation. As the 6-foot guard from Loganville, Georgia, sat on the bench in back-to-back games in Las Vegas, Robinson told him to stay ready.<\/p>\n

Then, in the championship, the coach tapped Smith. The decision worked.<\/p>\n

Smith erupted for 21 points off the bench, hitting 9 of 14 shots and adding nine rebounds. Behind Smith and Summer League MVP Yaxel Lendeborg, the Warriors beat the Grizzlies 94-90 in the title game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trusting Smith was a downright Kerrsian move, and that\u2019s no coincidence. Few have worked more closely with Steve Kerr than Robinson, who has served as the head coach\u2019s special assistant since 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s duties include organizing Kerr\u2019s personal and professional schedule so the head coach can focus on the Warriors without needless distractions. Robinson corresponds with members of Congress and local politicians while running practices; he, not Kerr, is the one with the whistle, transitioning the team from drill to drill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s just got a natural way about him that everyone likes,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cHe\u2019s so understated and humble, but smart. He has conviction. He loves life, he\u2019s a great guy to hang with.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s unique position allows him to pick the nine-time NBA champion\u2019s brain about basketball and the world \u2014 what they see in film sessions and what\u2019s in the news. Robinson has taken handwritten notes through the years, documenting how Kerr \u2014 and former top assistants such as Mike Brown and Willie Green \u2014 navigate difficult situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think I\u2019m in this classroom where I get these daily lessons,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cTo me, it would be a disservice to this opportunity if I don\u2019t try to pick up on the game.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Robinson joined the Warriors\u2019 video room in 2016 and started as Kerr\u2019s special assistant two years later, taking over from Nick U\u2019Ren. He\u2019s seen everything since \u2014 winning streaks, losing streaks, championships, devastating injuries, locker room turmoil, contract drama. Through it all, he\u2019s noticed how Kerr inspires belief in his vision.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although Summer League was fairly smooth sailing, Robinson applied those lessons.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe and his staff did a phenomenal job of getting those young guys ready and kicking ass,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cWe need to win. Like, we need to win Summer League games, we need to win preseason games, we got to get back to winning and being competitive as hell. That group set the tone, and Khalid led the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TwoKhalid Robinson, left, led Will Richard and Warriors youngsters to a Summer League title. | Source: Ian Maule\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Robinson introduced many of the Warriors\u2019 young players to the new five-out concepts on offense. Influenced by Kerr, he focused on his messaging to the team from a day-to-day and big-picture perspective. Robinson said it was key to relay not just the game plan but the \u201coverarching purpose\u201d behind it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe kind of approaches it the way Steve does,\u201d said guard Will Richard, who played on the Summer League championship squad and studies film with Robinson. \u201cHe lets his guys on the court kind of lead, but when it\u2019s his time to take control and lead, he does a great job of that.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

4 days ago<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a><\/p>\n

6 days ago<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Thursday, Oct. 1<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

The idea of a special assistant role came from Kerr\u2019s former agent, Mike Tannenbaum \u2014 the former Jets GM who now works at ESPN \u2014 who recommended it as a way to carve out an extra spot on the staff instead of hiring a traditional secretary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

U\u2019Ren, now the Phoenix Mercury GM, was Kerr\u2019s first special assistant. He had Kerr\u2019s ear to the degree that it was his idea to start Andre Iguodala in Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals, swinging the series.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Robinson played from 2010 to 2014 at Fordham, where he earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science and communications. He went from there to Ulster University in Northern Ireland for a master\u2019s degree in sports management.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like U\u2019Ren, Robinson earned Kerr\u2019s trust with his quiet, confident temperament.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody everybody really respects,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s important, because he\u2019s got so many people coming at him, trying to get to me for one thing or another, it\u2019s important for me to have somebody I feel represents me. With the values that I believe in. A sense of humility, and so he\u2019s perfect for that role.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kerr put so much trust in Robinson that he brought him to the 2024 Paris Olympics. As with the Warriors, Robinson ran practices there, taking the vocal stress off Kerr. \u201cIt\u2019s his voice, his whistle,\u201d Kerr said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"FiveRobinson was part of Kerr\u2019s Team USA coaching staff for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. | Source: Lachlan Cunningham\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t surprise Robinson when Kerr uses his platform to rail against the Trump administration<\/a> or lobby for gun safety policy. That\u2019s just who Kerr is.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHis parents, Ann and Malcolm, just instilled a set of values in him and all his siblings,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cAnd they all live lives where they\u2019re trying to do the best for the community around them, use what they have in their lives to uplift people. And it comes in many shapes and forms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robinson said he and Kerr agree on many issues. Robinson\u2019s role affords him the opportunity to help the head coach work toward the type of progress he seeks. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt allowed this to be more than basketball,\u201d Robinson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This summer, Robinson\u2019s notes, emails, and meticulous attention to the calendar paid off with a Summer League title. So did the conversations.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, he\u2019s a great tactical mind with the game, and I\u2019ve learned a lot there, but I just think the biggest lesson I\u2019ve learned from him is the human aspect,\u201d Robinson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Deivon Smith had started strong in the California Classic but slipped out of Khalid Robinson\u2019s Warriors Summer League…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":857855,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3786],"tags":[7,479,164,4025,4024,6,66,932,863,255],"class_list":["post-857854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golden-state-warriors","tag-basketball","tag-golden-state","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-goldenstate","tag-goldenstatewarriors","tag-nba","tag-sports","tag-steph-curry","tag-steve-kerr","tag-warriors"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117433758806503858","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}