'Good for me' - Steve Kerr recalls how Michael Jordan's retirement shaped his career

Time of India

a day ago

Steve Kerr needed more minutes on the court to prove his mettle and gain visibility in the
sphere. An unexpected departure of
from basketball in 1993 provided precisely that. Kerr joined the Chicago Bulls via a non-guaranteed deal, and to affirm his position, he needed visibility.
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With more minutes, Kerr's performance started showing up and helped him shape his career further.
So, according to Kerr, it was 'good for him' that Jordan took a break from basketball.
Kerr made this interesting revelation on the Glue Guys Podcast. He also took the listeners on a journey of what it was like playing with NBA giants like Scotty Pippen and Bill Cartwright, among others. He shared that these experiences transformed his career.
Steve Kerr attributed his success in NBA to Michael Jordan's sudden departure from basketball
Steve Kerr shares lessons that earned him 9 NBA championships
Steve Kerr appeared on the Glue Guys Podcast and talked about his starting years with the Chicago Bulls. Kerr reminisced about the time when he had just started and hoped to share the court with legendary Michael Jordan. But Jordan took a break when Kerr entered the Bulls camp. As per Kerr, it worked in his favor. He called it a personal benefit. Talking about that experience, Kerr said:
'Well, when I got there, it was right when Michael decided to go play baseball.
So, I was I went there expecting to play with him or at least be on the team with him. I was actually trying out with a non-guaranteed contract, just trying to keep, you know, keep my place in the league.'
Kerr needed play time to boost his presence on the team and NBA, and with Jordan not around, he got what he required. He said, 'Yeah. So, um, it actually was to my benefit in some ways that he went because it opened up a bunch of playing time.
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Uh, it was bad for the rest of the Bulls and their fan base, but it was good for me.'
Steve Kerr 1995-96 Highlights with the Chicago Bulls
Kerr's performance followed an upward curve in Jordan's absence. He became an 8-point player from the 5-point one, with play time increased to about 24 minutes per game. The exposure allowed him to play the high-stakes games and taught him to perform well even under pressure.
Kerr's candid confession received laughs from the podcast hosts, and they prodded him further to share his experience as the new player on the Bulls' team.
Steve Kerr shared how NBA giants helped him accumulate valuable experience
In the same podcast, Steve Kerr further shared how he amassed career-definingexperience while playing with the NBA biggies. He shared that he understood how easy it becomes to develop a championship-worthy team when the right team is in place. Kerr said:
'It was uh, that's kind of where I reestablished my career. It was my fifth year, and I was probably on my way out of the league. But um, you know to to step in there and learn from Phil and play with Scotty Pippen and Horus Grant and Bill Cartwright, these champions, um, changed my whole career.'
Scottie Pippen and Steve Kerr reminisce about their Bulls (and Blazers) days | The Jump
The Chicago Bulls resurrected when Michael Jordan came back after two years, and the wins started coming in thereafter, per Kerr. Talking about his learnings from playing in the company of great players, Kerr shared:
'What I learned was it's a lot easier to develop a role, um, on a great team with great players than on an average team, where everybody's just like kind of confused as to, you know, who's the man and all that stuff.'
Kerr shared how the clear hierarchy in Chicago allowed him to pitch in efforts precisely when needed, and it gave him a masterclass on building an impregnable forte, which he indeed applied later as an NBA coach.
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Steve Kerr's revelation tells how things fall into place when one is destined to play a bigger role. Kerr was definitely meant to make history in the NBA. He did so as the player first, and later as the Golden State Warriors' head coach.