LAS VEGAS – Greatness must be felt on a personal level to be fully understood, especially the process it takes to make the extraordinary ordinary.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who will lead the U.S. men’s basketball team one last time at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, acknowledges he was fortunate to have played under coaches like Ruthe Olsen, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Lenny Wilkens, Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich and to have witnessed some of the greatest players in his career. Kerr also played alongside some of basketball’s greatest heroes, including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
During Golden State’s dynasty decade, Kerr watched from the sidelines as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala brought four championship parades to the Bay Area. He knew the work it took to win them again and again, and he arrived just as Curry was beginning to evolve from a baby-faced, lanky-armed 3-point shooter into the kind of superstar who will be remembered for generations to come.
After years of competing, Kerr now has another chance to do something he never imagined he could do: coach LeBron James. And he already can’t believe his eyes.
It’s not his talent that places James in a unique position when making any list of the greatest players in basketball history, it’s how he approaches his job the moment the alarm clock goes off.
“I was blown away by how hard he worked,” Kerr said Saturday after the U.S. team’s first training camp practice at UNLV. “And I [assistant coach Ty Lue] and [assistant coach Erik Spoelstra] I asked, “Is this normal?” They said, “Every day, every day.” I asked Supo, “What was it like all those years ago when you hired him?” Supo said, “Every day. Every training, every walk-through.”
James turns 40 in December. Born in the same hospital as Curry in Akron, Ohio, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has dodged, dodged and avoided many of the obstacles the passage of time has thrown his way in 21 professional years.
At 36, Curry and James are the two oldest players on Team USA’s roster, which includes five players in their 20s and seven over 30. They’re also shining examples who have all the qualities necessary to one day earn induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Anthony Edwards is the team’s youngest player at 22 and may be the one most likely to become the next face of basketball in the near future. Edwards also famously barely tolerated Curry’s regular workouts in front of Kerr and the Warriors staff ahead of the 2020 draft. Summer school kicked off Saturday, allowing Edwards and everyone else to watch every move Curry and James make on and off the court as they prepare to stand with an American flag atop the medal stand in Paris.
“Watching Steph, I’m used to that kind of stuff,” Kerr said. “I think there’s a reason they’re two of the greatest players of all time. It’s not just the talent. It’s the unbelievable work ethic. And the attention to detail and the dedication to practice that translates to how they play in games and how their team plays, because they’re the ones leading the charge.”
Kerr and Curry played in four straight Finals with James on the NBA’s biggest stage, as the Warriors won championships all three times and James defeated what seemed impossible in 2016. The three talked this summer about what it takes to compete with a gold medal around their necks and how they can inspire each other.
Their competitive spirit is what earns them respect, and they wouldn’t want it any other way.
“Obviously, we’ve always had a lot of respect for each other,” James said. “We’re both competitors. He was a competitor as a coach, he was a competitor as a player, I was a competitor as a player, and we’ve both had the same goal in mind every year for a long time, and that’s to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.”
“But mostly it’s just mutual respect and admiration. I’m happy to be on the same team as him now and with Steph here, I’m happy to be on the same team as his point guard. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Basketball has changed forever globally since the 1992 Dream Team took the sport to unimaginable places. Players from other countries will no longer be bowing down to Stephen or LeBron or any of the Team USA superstars to ask for their autographs.
But if all goes according to plan, we’ll all be witnessing an unforgettable show being made on the big screen. And it wouldn’t be possible without the team’s two veterans, James and Curry, making every second count.
“I’m so honored to coach LeBron and it’s definitely a lot better coaching him than playing against him,” Kerr said. “No question about it.”
Ask James the same question and you can bet he’ll tell you the same thing: he’s now on the same side as Curry and Kerr, rather than watching them celebrate losing at No. 2.
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