Steve Kerr Admits He Wrongly Blamed Will Richard for Brandin Podziemski’s Turnover, Jokes About Calling Himself “Idiot Coach”

Sometimes a coach can get something wrong. And that’s perfectly fine as long as there’s accountability. That’s what happened to Warriors head honcho Steve Kerr this weekend when the Dubs went on the road to the Big Apple to play the top-seeded Knicks. Despite being without several of their big stars, including Steph Curry and Draymond Green, Golden State played an incredibly close game before losing 110-107.

The Warriors’ bench really showed some fight though, with guys like Brandin Podziemski and Quinten Post putting up solid numbers. However, at one point in the game Kerr completely lost his cool on Will Richard on a loose ball play. But when the replay came up, it revealed that Richard made a valiant effort to go for the ball due to a poor pass from Podz on a potential fast-break.

It wouldn’t have been a big deal, but since the play got amplified, Kerr’s unhinged response went viral. Now he’s paying the price for it. The 60-year-old legend opened up about the mishap during his recent appearance on the Willard and Dibs program. The show hosts asked Steve how often he thought he lost his temper like that on his players.

“I would say infrequently, but enough to get their attention. That was an unfortunate one. I blamed the wrong guy on that one. I was upset about Will’s two turnovers in a row because he had gotten a foul for a pushoff before,” Kerr began. “It was really Brandin [Podziemski]’s fault on the pass itself. I lose my temper sometimes. As you guys turnovers are my No. 1 pet peeve. We had 9 turnovers in that second quarter.”

“I blamed the wrong guy on that one…It was really Brandin [Podziemski]’s fault on the pass…I actually showed it to the guys yesterday before the Washington game…and I said, ‘What kind of idiot coach would blame this guy for the turnover?'”

– Steve Kerr on @WillardAndDibs. pic.twitter.com/iTcherK3rn

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 17, 2026

It totally tracks why Kerr would be so upset. The Dubs were in that game until the very end, who knows how much better they could have done had they not turned the ball over as often as they did. Perhaps, instead of being grilled on losing his temper the would be interviewed on how he managed to beat a top team in the East with all of his superstars out.

The good thing about Kerr though, is that he cares little about being embarrassed. He told the hosts moments later that he showed the clip in question to his team ahead of their next matchup against the Wizards, then started roasting himself to get back on their good side

“I actually showed it to the guys yesterday before the Washington game…and I said, ‘What kind of idiot coach would blame this guy for the turnover?'” This prompted a laugh from Willard and Dibs, along with everyone at home who listened to it. Kerr knows there are more important things in the world going on. Him owning up to his own mistake is exactly why he wears six NBA Finals rings.

The pep talk clearly worked. Golden State bounced back and defeated Washington 125-117, putting them at 33-35. If the season ended today they would qualify for the Play-In as they hold the No. 9-seed. If the Dubs manage to stay competitive, a returning Curry could be a jolt of energy into the team’s heart. And with Kerr acknowledging his mistakes, perhaps a small playoff run is still on the table for the famed franchise.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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