Warriors coach speaks at Democratic Convention

Former Bull Steve Kerr took the stage at the opening night of the DNC in Chicago where he did Steph Curry’s signature celebration

One week after leading Team USA to a gold medal at the Olympics, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr returned to his old stomping grounds in Chicago, hoping to help another Bay Area star to a win in November.

Also, he did the “Night Night.”

Donald Trump may shoot back with critcism of the “failing Golden State Warriors” and the “very unfair, very nasty ‘Night Night’ celebration,” likely with a reference to “Sleepy Joe” Biden, but that’s a risk Kerr was willing to run.

Kerr has been a frequent critic of Republic nominee Donald Trump over the years. Notably, the Warriors never visited Trump’s White House after winning NBA titles in 2017 and 2018, though the then-president later withdrew the invitation after Steph Curry said he wouldn’t go. Plus, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is a native of Oakland and a fan of the Dubs, so it’s not a complete surprise Kerr would give a speech.

He came on stage to the sounds of “Sirius” by the Alan Parsons Project, the same music used to introduce the starting lineups of the Chicago Bulls during their run of six championships in the 1990’s. Kerr was part of that run for the final three, playing home games at the same United Center histing the 2024 DNC.

To be fair, Kerr didn’t start a single game in those three seasons, but it’s an iconic intro even if he never got introduced to that soundtrack.

Before we get into the speech, I want to apologize to Boston Celtics fans. Despite his three straight first-team All-NBA selections, an NBA title in June, and an appearance on the cover of NBA 2K25, Kerr didn’t mention Jayson Tatum a single time during his remarks. Clearly, that’s no way to treat an athlete of his caliber, but perhaps it was because Kerr wasn’t sure how Tatum feels about single-payer health care or abortion rights.

Kerr began his speech explaining why he’d taken the unusual step of speaking at a political convention.

“I believe in a certain kind of leadership,” Kerr told delegates. “I believe that leaders must display dignity. I believe that leaders must tell the truth. I believe that leaders should be able to laugh at themselves. I believe leaders must care for and love the people they are leading.”

Kerr added that he thought both Harris and Tim Walz had those qualities, but he did have some criticism of Walz, a former high school football coach.

“Way too much reliance on the blitz in 99 against Mankato East,” he needled.

For the most part, Kerr has displayed dignity, has laughed at himself, and cared for his players, though he may not have been completely truthful a few times when reporters asked him if he saw Draymond Green punch or choke opponents.

It’s unusual for athletes to speak at party conventions, though recently it’s been far more common at the Republican Conventions. While Hall of Famer Bill Bradley delivered the keynote address at the 1992 Democratic Convention, the RNC has had more representatives from the world of sports. The 2012 RNC included Olympic athletes Derek Parra, Kim Rhode, and Mike Eurizone. The 2008 RNC included former Washington football coach Joe Gibbs endorsing John McCain, as did that year’s Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, Bryan Clay.

For local athletes, 49ers legend Steve Young delivered an invocation at the 2000 Republic convention, which also featured a speech from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Sure, The Rock competed in an imaginary sport, but I would never tell him to his face that he wasn’t an athlete. Wrestler Hulk Hogan also spoke at this year’s RNC, which could create a huge hurdle for Harris’ efforts to secure the Hulkamaniac vote.

Kerr preemptively addressed the idea that he was out of place as an NBA coach, saying “I can see the ‘shut up and whistle’ tweets fired off as we speak,” but said that he thought the upcoming election was “too important” for him to remain silent.

It was appropriate that Kerr appeared on a night that also featured 76-year-old Hillary Clinton, 73-year-old First Lady Jill Biden and 81-year-old President Joe Biden, because Kerr loves to lean on veterans in big moment. It’s honestly an upset that 34-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got any playing time at all, given Kerr’s preference for more established performers — Jonathan Kuminga should be thrilled!

There’s always been half-serious speculation about Kerr’s political ambitions, given he’s been outspoken about racist tweets by the former president and gun control over the years. Back in 2017, Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton modeled a “Popovich/Kerr 2020” t-shirt, which also has 2024 editions available wherever online t-shirts are sold.

But Kerr is reportedly done coaching Team USA, and his recent extension only runs through 2026. That’s also the year that California elects a new governor. Could this convention speech be a precursor to a gubernatorial run? Would Lakers fans vote for Kerr now that he got Anthony Davis and LeBron James a gold medal? Could he blow it at the last second by naming Anderson Varejao as his lieutenant governor?

It’s still too early to speculate, but it’s clear that in what figures to be a very close presidential election, the Kerr factor could help run up Harris’ numbers in San Francisco, San Antonio, Chicago, and even Tucson, Arizona, home of Kerr’s Wildcats. After all, just like in NBA basketball, presidential elections are all about Strength In Numbers.