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Steve Kerr wins Coach of the Year, wins at life
- Updated: April 27, 2016
1:07 PM ET
Steve Kerr ran a campaign against himself, seeking not to be the NBA Coach of the Year. He openly argued someone else should get the award, and thought it absurd he received official credit for Golden State Warriors wins that assistant coach Luke Walton presided over. So it was surprising to see such an emotional news conference when Kerr accepted the award.
That’s how these affairs tend to go, though. The NBA is such a process-focused grind that, when you remove people from the day-to-day context and ask them to reflect, we’re often privy to a jarring jolt of nostalgia.
There was a catharsis to the affair, just as there are with the best wedding toasts. Kerr shared the stage with GM Bob Myers and Walton, his boss and his employee, respectively. Those two designations seemed to matter very little as the men reflected on, among other things, their friendship.
Kerr has battled a personal hell to make it through Golden State’s historic 73-win season. “It’s the hardest year of my life,” Kerr conceded on the stage. “Not even close.”
He continued, saying he’s “incredibly lucky to have this amazing family.” Then, fighting back tears, “And all these beautiful people around me, and Bob went from being my general manager, a guy I worked with, to a guy I leaned on every day when I was struggling with my pain.”
Kerr continued, “When I was really struggling, Bob called me every single day and offered his support. And if I didn’t have Bob and I didn’t have Margot [Kerr’s wife] and my kids and I didn’t have my team to come back and coach — boy, it was rough. It was really rough. So, the friendship Bob has given me, and the support goes way beyond basketball. And it will last a lifetime.”
While offering that support, Myers had his own pain to traverse, after his friend and …
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