Steve Kerr was drafted in 1988 by the Phoenix Suns and has ever since made a massive name for himself in the NBA world. But, he believes if Michael Jordan had not retired in 1993 to play baseball, his NBA career may have been over before it even started.
Kerr appeared on the Glue Guys Podcast with Shane Battier and expressed the emotions in his head from when he joined the Bulls to play with Jordan.
“Well, when I got there, it was right when Michael decided to go play baseball. So, I went there expecting to play with him and or at least be on the team with him. I was actually trying out with a non-guaranteed contract, just trying to keep, you know, keep my place in the league.”
“Yeah. So, it actually was to my benefit in some ways that he went because it opened up a bunch of playing time. It was bad for the rest of the Bulls and their fan base, but it was good for me.”
“No, that’s kind of where I reestablished my career. It was my fifth year, and I was probably on my way out of the league. But you know, to step in there and learn from Phil and play with Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant and Bill Cartwright, these champions changed my whole career.”
“And then, of course, Michael came back two years later and we started winning, you know, winning again. So it was, you know, what I learned was it’s a lot easier to develop a role, on a great team with great players than on an average team, you know, where everybody’s just kind of confused as to, you know, who’s the man and all that stuff.”
“The hierarchy in Chicago allowed me, and the offense allowed me to just plug right in.”
Before joining the Bulls in 1993, Kerr had been in the league for five seasons. In those five seasons, he averaged 5.0 points, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 rebounds while getting roughly 15 minutes of playing time per night.
He had a role player’s minutes and limited contributions to the teams he was on, and hence felt he might be on his way out of the league. If Jordan had not retired, we may have never seen Kerr end up winning nine NBA championships in his career (five as a player, four as a coach).
After joining the Bulls in Michael Jordan’s absence, Kerr’s minutes drastically increased. He averaged 8.4 points, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 rebounds in the next two seasons while playing almost 24 minutes per night. Therefore, Michael Jordan’s first retirement, in a way, saved Steve Kerr’s career.
