Steve Kerr’s stint as the coach of the United States men’s national basketball team will come to an end following the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The Golden State Warriors head coach, who is also in the last year of his contract with the Dubs, announced his decision during an interview with The Athletic Monday. He said he is following the example set by his predecessor Gregg Popovich, who stepped down in 2021 after leading the team to a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Cup.
“To me, it’s a two-year; it’s a cycle,” Kerr told the publication. “Pop coached a World Cup and the Olympics; now it’s my turn to pass the baton. I think that’s kind of how it should be. Frankly, it’s a huge commitment, too.”
Kerr served as one of Popovich’s assistant coaches during the latter’s stint as head coach of Team USA. Kerr also played under Popovich as a point guard when the San Antonio Spurs became NBA champions in 1999.
Team USA fell one game short of finishing on the podium at this year’s World Cup in The Philippines, losing to the Canadian men’s national basketball team in a third-place game. The United States lost three players as an upper-respiratory illness swept through the team.
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While the roster for next year’s Olympics is still taking shape, plenty of basketball titans like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and the Warriors’ Stephen Curry have voiced their desire to play on the international stage in Paris.
Kerr told The Athletic that outside of Curry expressing his interest in playing, discussions between both sides on the matter have been minimal as the team is focused on avenging last year’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA playoffs.
The Warriors have lost two of their first seven games this season, with their most recent coming against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“We’ve been so focused on the Warriors’ season and the way last year ended, what we’re trying to establish right now,” Kerr told The Athletic.
Following the conclusion of the 2024 Olympics, international basketball teams will gear up for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar, as well as the Olympics in Los Angeles the following year.
