While becoming the best in a sport is tough in itself, maintaining that success over a long period is even more difficult. Steve Kerr has managed that both as a player and coach.
Advertisement
Kerr has had more NBA success than most. He won five rings as a player and four more as coach of the Golden State Warriors. Kerr is always humble about his triumphs, giving credit to players like Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, and Steph Curry. But it’s no accident that he keeps finding himself holding a trophy, as confetti rains down on him.
His secret lies also in his ability to imbibe and put into practice advice from other sporting greats. On the latest episode of the Glue Guys podcast, Kerr shared a story of a time when the Warriors and he received an invaluable lesson from tennis legend Roger Federer.
The Warriors were in China in 2017 to participate in the NBA Global Games, and Federer happened to be in town to play in the Shanghai Masters. Kerr arranged a meeting, and, after Draymond Green asked the Swiss legend how he sustains excellence, he received a surprising answer.
“I think everybody was expecting an answer like, ‘I work so hard and I do this and I do that.’ But his answer was very Scottie Scheffler-like,” Kerr said.
“He said, ‘You know, I love my life. I wake up every morning, I cook breakfast for my kids, then I take ’em to school. And then I drop ’em off and then I go practice tennis for like two hours, and I’ve got a great routine now that I’ve figured out where I can get all my work in, in a really joyful way without killing my body, but keeps me in great shape, ready for the next tournament,'” Kerr recalled.
“‘Then I go home, and I love to cook, so I cook my kids dinner, and we hang around a little bit, and everybody goes to bed, and I put my head on the pillow, and I go, that was a great day. So I’ve been doing that for 20 years, and that works for me,'” he added, recalling Federer’s words.
Kerr referenced Scheffler, who said in a press conference before the Open Championship in July that golf wasn’t the be-all, end-all and that winning golf tournaments isn’t what gives him the most happiness. Having a well-rounded family life and a work-life balance is where he gets his joy from.
Federer and Scheffler both reached the top of their sport. Federer won 20 Grand Slams over 15 years, spending 310 weeks as the No.1-ranked player in the world. Scheffler is the clear-cut best golfer in the world right now, having won the PGA Championship and Open Championship this year to add to his two Masters wins from 2022 and 2024.
Scheffler has also held the No. 1 ranking for over two years without interruption. While he drew criticism from some people in sports media for his comments about what makes him happy, he went out and won the Claret Jug by four strokes just days after that press conference.
There’s a prevailing mindset among sports fans and media members that the only way to win and win big is to be singularly focused on just that. Family, friendships, other interests outside of your chosen sport, those are all just distractions that get in the way. Federer, Scheffler, and Kerr are proof that there’s a better way to play.
After all, if you devote your life to winning at the expense of everything else, what was it all for? What’s the point, as Scheffler asked. Is it gratifying to sit alone in a room full of trophies, or is it better to share it with others?
