Steve Kerr will remain on the Golden State bench: The veteran coach has agreed to a new two-year contract and will continue leading the Warriors through the 2026-27 season, ESPN reported Saturday night.
According to the report, Kerr will once again become the highest-paid coach in the NBA. He earned about $17.5 million last season, and the club made clear that the decision to extend his deal was not driven solely by financial considerations. “It was never about money. We needed to make the best professional decision,” a team source said.
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Kerr will once again become the highest-paid coach in the NBA
(Photo: Charles Krupa/AP)
In recent weeks, Kerr held several meetings with team owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy, with the sides discussing the roster’s future, the team’s playing philosophy and the club’s direction for the coming years.
Although it was already clear within the organization earlier this week that Kerr was expected to stay, the final details were closed only in the past day.
Kerr’s decision was not a given. During training camp in October, he hinted that he might leave at the end of the season after choosing not to open negotiations on a contract extension. Golden State finished a disappointing season at just 45-37, ranked 10th in the West and was eliminated by Phoenix in the play-in tournament.
After the elimination, Kerr said: “I still love coaching, but I understand every job has an expiration date. Sometimes, when a certain era ends, you need new blood and new ideas.” In recent weeks, reports also surfaced of internal tensions at the club, including over the coach’s political views, among them remarks he made against Israel.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Kerr sparked controversy when he said: “Israel sought revenge for October 7th and now seventy-two thousand Palestinians have been killed and Israeli settlers are taking over the West Bank illegally, with the approval of Israel's government and the U.S. Ambassador, Mike Huckabee. That's not a path to any sort of peace or security for Israel or the rest of the Middle East.”
Kerr, whose father, Malcolm, was murdered in Beirut in 1984, empathized with the Gazans. “Imagine being a parent of one of the one hundred and seventy-five girls who died when their school was bombed. Their loss, their suffering ... How are they going to feel about America? Violence begets violence. We've seen it in Israel and Lebanon as well. There was an opening for Israel to handle their business with the Palestinians diplomatically that would have solidified the Abraham Accords and allowed stronger alliances with Arab countries that would have really cornered Iran.”
According to ESPN, Golden State’s management even explored possible replacements in case Kerr left, but the team’s main stars — including Stephen Curry — wanted him to remain in the role.
Kerr was named Golden State’s coach in 2014, in what was considered a gamble at the time. In his first season, he led the team to 67 wins and its first championship in 40 years, later building with Curry one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.
Under Kerr, Golden State won four NBA championships, in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022, and reached six NBA Finals. Kerr also won five championship rings as a player with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.
First published: 09:27, 05.10.26