Kerr lists shared traits between Curry, Jordan that led to greatness originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Not many people get the chance to be close with two NBA legends, but Steve Kerr has had the unique experience of both playing alongside Michael Jordan and coaching Warriors star Steph Curry.
From winning three straight NBA championships with Jordan on the Chicago Bulls to earning four as the coach of Curry and the Warriors, Kerr has a multitude of memories with both all-time greats. During an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole, the 58-year-old reflected on how Jordan and Curry are alike.
“I see their similarities, and I see their differences,” Kerr told Poole. “The biggest similarity is the work ethic. Michael, like Steph, put every single ounce of energy into getting better every single year, constantly searching for ways to get better.”
Kerr pointed out that Jordan might have been the first NBA player to hire his own personal trainer, Tim Grover, in an effort to remain the best. Like Jordan, Curry employs his own trainer, Brandon Payne, who has helped the 35-year-old continue to evolve his game. It’s little things like that which illuminate two other key traits Jordan and Curry share, Kerr said.
“It’s the focus and the competitive desire,” Kerr told Poole. “People don’t know how competitive Steph is. They knew how competitive Michael was. They don’t know how competitive Steph is because they see him smiling and laughing, but he’s a killer. He and Michael both are absolute killers, but they’re different people, different human beings.”
Curry and Jordan manifest leadership in different ways despite sharing a common fire for the game, Kerr explained. Curry is a much quieter leader than Jordan was; Kerr described the Bulls star as having a more “boisterous” leadership style.
But while Jordan and Curry share plenty of similarities despite some differences, there’s one commonality that stands out most to Kerr.
“There’s different ways to achieve success, but more similarities than differences in my mind,” Kerr told Poole. “The other one that will always be in my mind is back then, everywhere we went, there were red 23 jerseys in the stands. Today, everywhere we go, blue 30 jerseys in the stands.”
Two NBA superstars, two massive impacts. And Kerr has been lucky enough to witness both up close.
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