The Golden State Warriors have officially announced a well-deserved contract extension for head coach Steve Kerr in a press release.
Steve Kerr has led the Warriors to an incredible 265-63 (80.8% winning percentage) regular season record since taking over as head coach in 2014.
Kerr and Golden State have excelled in the postseason as well with a 63-20 (75.9%) record in the playoffs, which includes three championships and a Game 7 loss in the 2016 NBA Finals.
He is entering the final season of a five-year, $25 million contract, but the Warriors have already agreed to an extension with the franchise’s most successful head coach.
We don’t know the exact details of Kerr’s new contract, but it will make him one of the league’s highest paid coaches according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Golden State released a statement regarding Kerr’s extension on their PR department’s Twitter page.
The statement contains a quote from president of basketball operations and general manager Bob Meyers saying:
"“We’re excited to have Steve under contract and poised to lead our team for the next several years. Under his guidance, we’ve been fortunate enough to win three NBA titles in four years and his ability to thrive in all facets of his job is certainly a primary reason for our success. He’s a terrific coach, but more importantly an incredible human being.”"
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The last sentence of Meyers’ statement really sums up what Steve Kerr brings to the Warriors’ organization.
His pace-and-space offense and the empowerment of Steph Curry have obviously helped Golden State become the team they are today. But Kerr’s infectious enthusiasm and positivity have created a culture that nearly every NBA team is trying to emulate.
While this contract extension seemed like a no-brainer from the Warriors’ perspective, I wasn’t sure it would get done this offseason.
Kerr didn’t look like he had a ton of fun coaching this team for most of the season, and his history of back injuries had me thinking that he may retire from coaching sooner rather than later.
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Fortunately, it looks like Kerr will not be riding off into the sunset anytime soon, and this contract extension ensures that he will be in Golden State for years to come.