How Steve Kerr Committing ‘The Forbidden Sin of Coaching’ Led to Him and Stephen Curry Becoming an All-Time Duo

There have been very few partnerships between a coach and a player, in all of sports, that have been as fruitful as the one between Steve Kerr and Steph Curry. The Golden State Warriors have been the NBA’s premier team of the past decade because of what those two have done; winning four titles and changing the game forever.

That’s not to minimize the roles of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and everyone else who helped the Warriors have so much success. But the dynamic between Kerr and Steph has always been at the heart of it.

Even the best coach and superstar pairings have had rocky times. Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan clashed at times about the Triangle offense, but even that was nothing compared to the combustible nature of the Zen Master’s time with Shaq and Kobe in L.A. Even Red Auerbach and Bill Russell, the standard-bearers for winning in the NBA, had their moments.

For Kerr and Steph, their fork in the road came after a Christmas Day loss to the Cavs in 2016 when Kerr publicly called the 4x NBA champion out for his carelessness with the ball, saying he “could be a little smarter.”

In an article published today from ESPN’s Warriors insider Anthony Slater, Kerr said that he knew almost immediately that he had messed up. This was a moment that could split even the strongest pairings but Kerr showed the humility to immediately admit his mistake and try to set things right.

Slater wrote that even Steph’s family texted him asking why Kerr would do that, and the Warriors star himself called it “the forbidden sin of coaching — when you out players in the media.”

But he welcomed Kerr to his house the next day and the two of them hashed things out like adults. They’ve won three more titles since, including those next two with Kevin Durant and another one in 2022 when their dynasty had supposedly ended.

Coaching is such a delicate balancing act, especially in the NBA where players have so much power. Superstars get coaches fired all the time, and if they really want to hold a franchise’s feet to the fire, they can demand a trade. At the same time, if a coach lets a star live by a completely different set of rules, they can quickly lose control of the team.

Coaches don’t often admit mistakes, and superstars aren’t always so quick to forgive. But Kerr and Steph are a different breed, with a mutual respect and a team-first vision, which is why they’ve been so great together for so long.

Now they’re ready to embark on their 12th season together in the pursuit of another championship, and with a roster that includes a full season of Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, and the newly-extended Jonathan Kuminga, it would be foolish to count them out this time.