© Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
OAKLAND – Steve Kerr is as familiar with ring ceremonies as you could ever hope to be. His five championships as a player – tied for 14th-best all-time – and three as a coach – sixth-best all-time – makes Kerr tied for the sixth-most decorated as a player and coach in NBA history.
But back in 2010, Kerr said he laughed at the possibility of his three most recent championships with the Warriors. He was at home watching Joe Lacob, who, on his first night as an owner of the Warriors, guaranteed a championship for a franchise that hadn’t won since a title since 1975. Kerr said he’s found himself thinking about that Lacob speech more and more.
“Everybody laughed,” Kerr said. “I laughed, I was at home. Come on, the Warriors?”
But as Kerr said, the dominos fell into place.
“Joe set me the goal that night and I think there was a young guy named Steph Curry in the building who this whole thing has revolved around in many ways as it’s all crystallized,” Kerr said. “I always look at the teams I played for and why they worked… you realize, you have to have that first domino has to fall. Michael (Jordan) was the first domino, David Robinson was the first domino to fall in San Antonio. Then it requires some luck.”
That luck came for Kerr’s Spurs when they drafted Tim Duncan in the lottery. For the Warriors, it was drafting an overlooked, energetic forward from Michigan State.
“Maybe you get Tim Duncan in the lottery, maybe you get Draymond Green with the 35th pick,” Kerr said. “As Bob always said, ‘If we were that smart, we wouldn’t have taken him 35th, we would’ve taken him a lot earlier.’”
There’s luck, Kerr said, but that luck is meaningless without having an organization with clear leadership.
“There’s a lot of luck involved, but I think that there is a structure that has to be in place that Joe immediately went to work on when he bought this team with Peter,” Kerr said. “Tonight is a night to sort of reflect on that.”
You can count on Kerr for lighthearted jokes and – aside from a few broken clipboards – a generally laid-back demeanor. But on ring night, Kerr said humor isn’t part of the flow. “It’s all business,” Kerr said. And for players and coaches, the focus isn’t even really on the ring.
“The night is really about watching that banner go up even more so than receiving the ring,” Kerr said. “The ring is amazing and gaudy and kind of ridiculous in many ways, but in a great way. It’s just awesome to have, maybe uncomfortable to wear, but an amazing relic to symbolize what we accomplished… But when the banner goes up, that’s when it hits home and that’s when you share it with the fans and you hear the vibe in the building and that’s what it’s about.”