Having led the Golden State Warriors to four NBA championships together, Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr have built one of the greatest player-coach relationships in basketball history. The duo has won it all, including an Olympic gold medal with Team USA last year. But who has contributed more to the other’s success?
Kerr recently made a surprising admission, suggesting his career would have been over if he hadn’t joined Curry and the Warriors in 2014.
Steve Kerr Says Stephen Curry Saved His Coaching Career
Kerr, a five-time NBA champion as a player, received a coaching offer from his former coach Phil Jackson, who was president of the New York Knicks at the time. However, he also had an offer from the Warriors and ultimately chose Golden State to lead the young core of Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Curry.
It’s been over a decade since that decision, and Kerr remains grateful. Speaking with 95.7 The Game’s Mark Willard and Dan Dibley, he said he would likely be a TV analyst today if he had signed with the Knicks in 2014.
“I would have been fired within two years, and I’d be doing television right now,” Kerr said.
"I would have been fired within two years and I'd be doing television right now." 😂
– Steve Kerr reflected on what would have happened if he chose to coach the Knicks instead of the Warriors in the Summer of 2014 (via @WillardAndDibs).
🎧 https://t.co/UzoOGYedFc pic.twitter.com/KQst2eREgP
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 5, 2025
While the Warriors won the NBA championship in Kerr’s first season, the Knicks finished 17-65. A one-and-done coaching stint in New York wouldn’t have been a surprise.
Golden State went on to win back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 before securing a fourth championship in 2022, when Curry earned his first Finals MVP. The Warriors are now chasing a fifth title under Kerr and Curry, having traded for All-Star forward Jimmy Butler before last month’s deadline.
Though the duo isn’t slowing down yet, Kerr acknowledged that his coaching tenure has an expiration date—one that could be tied to his point guard’s retirement.
“I think every coaching job has an expiration date, and I think it’s important for all parties involved to be aware of that. So, there’s probably something to that,” Kerr said. “But, I don’t spend much time thinking about that. I love what I do, I love this team, I love coaching these guys every day, and I’m just going to keep plugging away with them and see what we can accomplish. Then we’ll worry about all that stuff later.”
"I think every coaching job has an expiration date. It's important for all parties involved to be aware of that."
– Steve Kerr admits his coaching career is "probably" intertwined with Steph Curry's playing career (via @WillardAndDibs).
🎧 https://t.co/UzoOGYedFc pic.twitter.com/85NOrqXmor
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 5, 2025
Whenever Kerr steps away, it will be an emotional moment for the Warriors and the NBA. If he and Curry retire together, the Chase Center might be filled with a sea of tears in a farewell to two future Hall of Famers.
