Stephen Curry doesn’t want to play for anyone other than Steve Kerr. Speaking with ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors superstar said he hopes to finish his career under Kerr, explaining that they’ve earned the right to “ride it out” together after everything they’ve built over the past decade.
“I played for Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] twice at the world championships,” Curry said. “Mark Jackson. Keith Smart… I don’t want to,” Curry said on whether he can play for another coach. “We deserve that, I feel. Things change in this league. We can only control so much. But I think we’re in a very unique situation that we deserve the opportunity [to ride it out].”
Curry began his career under Don Nelson, who coached the Warriors during Steph’s rookie season. By the 2010-11 campaign, the franchise moved on from Keith Smart before finally settling on Mark Jackson as the locker room leader. It was under Jackson’s regime that the Warriors began to show signs of life, and by the time he was fired in 2014, they were already on the verge of reaching elite status in the West.
Out of all his NBA coaches, however, Curry has had the most success with Steve Kerr. He’s entering the final year of his contract, but it seems unlikely that he’ll leave. The former Bulls sharpshooter was hired over 11 years ago, and his tenure has become the most prosperous in franchise history. Kerr saw the potential in Steph right away, and he instilled a championship mindset that remains to this day.
So far, the Warriors have won four championships under Kerr’s watch in six trips to the NBA Finals. They established a dynasty in San Francisco and marked their place in history as one of the greatest teams ever. Kerr has brought the best out of Curry, putting him in a position to succeed that’s resulted in two MVPs and a career stat line of 24.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 44.8% shooting.
Today, at 37 years old, Curry is nearing the end of his career, and there isn’t much time left to capitalize on his greatness. While his legacy is set as one of the all-time greats, he’s still hungry for success and wants to go out as a winner. Fortunately, with Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors are in good shape to contend for the title, but Kerr’s decisions will leave an impact.
Having won a championship as a player and coach, Kerr knows more than most what it takes to succeed, and he’s going to trust in the game plan that helped usher in an era of prosperity for the franchise. Emphasizing teamwork, strategy, and maximum effort, Kerr has set his standards from day one, and Curry trusts from experience that it will achieve the desired results.
Clearly, Steph’s connection with Kerr runs deeper than basketball. Together, they reshaped the Warriors and redefined how the game is played, creating a culture rooted in trust, teamwork, and joy. As his career winds down, Curry isn’t just chasing another championship. He’s choosing to finish alongside the coach who helped him reach his full potential.
