Steve Kerr is well known for being one of the winningest people in NBA history, for being a very good coach with the Golden State Warriors but also as one of the funniest people in the association (although Chris Paul would think different). The head coach lived a lot of great moments during his life and he recently talked about one of his first big ones in the league.
Drafted in 1988 by the Phoenix Suns, Kerr played for 15 years in the league, winning five NBA championships in one of the most honored careers the league has seen. He’s used a lot of his experiences to teach his players and James Wiseman has been one of those but this time it was about the gear he would use for the Dubs’ Friday game against the Charlotte Hornets.
Wiseman was ready to use Gordon Hayward’s Antas shoes, which didn’t sit well with the team, and advised him to not wear his shoes while playing against him. Well, he switched to Klay Thompson’s shoes and everything went fine, with the Warriors taking revenge on the Hornets with a 130-121 result.
Kerr said Wiseman was getting ready to wear Gordon Hayward's Antas before the Charlotte game. He was told he it's a bad idea to wear Hayward's shoes while playing against him. So Wiseman switched to Klay Thompson's Antas. @LetsGoWarriors got some gems out of Kerr! https://t.co/5OgJEBEGTW
— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) February 27, 2021
Kerr talked about his first shoe deal when he was a rookie and how things changed for him at that moment, or that’s what he believed.
“A thousand dollars cash and I think $1,500 of gear from Converse to wear their shoe. And it felt like I hit the lottery,” according to Marcus Thompson.
Steve Kerr on his first shoe deal as a rookie: "A thousand dollars cash and I think $1,500 of gear from Converse to wear their shoe. And it felt like I hit the lottery."
— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) February 27, 2021
A lot has changed since that moment; Michael Jordan was given his own shoe brand, rookies sign incredibly lucrative deals with sneakers companies before even entering the league, and more. Still, Kerr was happy with his $1,500 contract in 1988.
This one step perhaps wasn’t the best one for him but he was young and ready to get that check. He had a terrific career, being at the right place at the right time, getting used to winning both on the court and the sidelines.
