On June 2, 2007, the Phoenix Suns named Kerr the team's President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. Kerr helped Managing Partner Robert Sarver buy the Suns in 2004 and became one of Sarver's trusted basketball advisors. Kerr announced his retirement from the Suns in June 2010.[2]
Early life
Kerr was born September 27, 1965 in Beirut, Lebanon, the son of Malcolm Kerr, an American academic who specialized in the Middle East, Kerr spent much of his childhood in Lebanon and other Arab states. He attended Cairo American College in Egypt and Palisades High School (now Palisades Charter High School) in Pacific Palisades, California. On January 18, 1984, Kerr's father, who was then serving as president of the American University of Beirut, was assassinated by suspected militant nationalists in Beirut.[3]Basketball career
Kerr was minimally recruited out of high school because he could not jump and was two steps slower than other point guards.[4] Kerr played basketball for the University of Arizona from 1983 to 1988. In summer 1986, Kerr was named to the USA Basketball team that competed in the FIBA World Championship in Spain. The team became the last American Men's Senior Team composed strictly of amateur players to capture a gold medal. Kerr injured his knee during the tournament, forcing him to miss an entire season (1986–87) at Arizona. After returning to the team, Kerr became a fan favorite due to his leadership and long-range shooting. He helped the Wildcats reach the Final Four of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament in 1988, along with future NBA teammate Sean Elliott, future NBA journeyman Tom Tolbert, and future Major League Baseball All-Star Kenny Lofton. He also set a NCAA record for three point percentage in a single season (114-199, 57.3%).NCAA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-84 | Arizona | 28 | … | 22.6 | .516 | … | .692 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 7.1 |
| 1984-85 | Arizona | 31 | … | 33.4 | .568 | … | .803 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 10.0 |
| 1985-86 | Arizona | 32 | … | 38.4 | .540 | … | .899 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 14.4 |
| 1986-87 | Arizona | Redshirt | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … |
| 1987-88 | Arizona | 38 | … | 32.6 | .559 | .573 | .824 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 12.6 |
| Career[5] | … | 129 | … | 32.1 | .548 | .573 | .815 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 11.2 |
 |
| Kerr with the Cleveland Cavaliers |
 |
| Chicago Bulls |
Kerr played a major part of the Bulls' victory in the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. In the final seconds of Game 6, with the score tied at 86, he took a pass from Michael Jordan and hit the game-clinching shot. The Bulls won the game, earning back-to-back championships for the first time in four seasons. Kerr also won the 3-Point Shootout at the 1997 All-Star Game.
In the last minute of Game 2 of the 1998 Finals series against Utah, he missed a three-pointer, grabbed his own rebound and laid it to Michael Jordan who scored an easy lay-up. The play helped Chicago win this game and even the series at 1–1. The Bulls won the series in six games.
The Spurs made it to the Finals for the first time in their history, and Kerr won his fourth ring in a row when the Spurs beat the New York Knicks for the 1999 NBA championship. He is the only non-Boston Celtic to win four straight NBA titles.
In the 2003 playoffs, Kerr made key contributions in Game Six of the Spurs' Western Conference Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks. Among those were four clutch three-pointers that helped to eliminate the Mavericks. The Spurs eventually won the NBA championship that year by beating the New Jersey Nets in a six-game Finals series, led by Kerr, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili, among others.
Kerr ended his career as a dependable bench player who could make jump shots and three-pointers in critical moments. Even when he was with the Chicago Bulls, and both he and Michael Jordan were on the floor at the same time, when a free throw had to be taken due to a technical foul, Kerr was usually the one to take the shot.
Kerr announced his retirement after the 2003 NBA Finals. He played 910 regular season games but started only 30, 20 of them in the 1991–92 season. His career totals are: 5,437 points (6 ppg), 1,060 rebounds (1.2 rpg), and 1,658 assists (1.8 apg). He also retired as the league's all-time leader in three-point shooting percentage for a season (.524 in 1994–95) and career (.454).
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
[edit] Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-89 | Phoenix | 26 | 0 | 6.0 | .435 | .471 | .667 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.1 |
| 1989-90 | Cleveland | 78 | 5 | 21.3 | .444 | .507 | .863 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 6.7 |
| 1990-91 | Cleveland | 57 | 4 | 15.9 | .444 | .452 | .849 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 4.8 |
| 1991-92 | Cleveland | 48 | 20 | 17.6 | .511 | .432 | .833 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 6.6 |
| 1992-93 | Cleveland / Orlando | 52 | 0 | 9.3 | .434 | .231 | .917 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.6 |
| 1993-94 | Chicago | 82 | 0 | 24.8 | .497 | .419 | .856 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 8.6 |
| 1994-95 | Chicago | 82 | 0 | 22.4 | .527 | .524 | .778 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 8.2 |
| 1995-96 | Chicago | 82 | 0 | 23.4 | .506 | .515 | .929 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 8.4 |
| 1996-97 | Chicago | 82 | 0 | 22.7 | .533 | .464 | .806 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 8.1 |
| 1997-98 | Chicago | 50 | 0 | 22.4 | .454 | .438 | .918 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 7.5 |
| 1998-99 | San Antonio | 44 | 0 | 16.7 | .391 | .313 | .886 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 4.4 |
| 1999-00 | San Antonio | 32 | 0 | 8.4 | .432 | .516 | .818 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| 2000-01 | San Antonio | 55 | 1 | 11.8 | .421 | .429 | .933 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.3 |
| 2001-02 | Portland | 65 | 0 | 11.9 | .470 | .394 | .975 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 4.1 |
| 2002-03 | San Antonio | 75 | 0 | 12.7 | .430 | .395 | .882 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Career[6] | … | 910 | 30 | 17.8 | .479 | .454 | .864 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 6.0 |
[edit] Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-90 | Cleveland | 5 | … | 14.6 | .286 | .000 | … | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| 1991-92 | Cleveland | 12 | … | 12.4 | .439 | .273 | 1.000 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.7 |
| 1993-94 | Chicago | 10 | … | 18.6 | .361 | .375 | 1.000 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| 1994-95 | Chicago | 10 | … | 19.3 | .475 | .421 | 1.000 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 5.1 |
| 1995-96 | Chicago | 18 | … | 19.8 | .448 | .321 | .871 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 6.8 |
| 1996-97 | Chicago | 19 | … | 17.9 | .429 | .381 | .929 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 5.0 |
| 1997-98 | Chicago | 21 | … | 19.8 | .434 | .463 | .818 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4.9 |
| 1998-99 | San Antonio | 11 | … | 8.8 | .267 | .231 | .833 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| 2000-01 | San Antonio | 9 | … | 11.2 | .480 | .333 | .500 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 3.3 |
| 2001-02 | Portland | 3 | … | 13.0 | .429 | .250 | 1.000 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 6.3 |
| 2002-03 | San Antonio | 10 | … | 4.6 | .636 | .833 | .750 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| Career[7] | … | 128 | … | 15.6 | .426 | .370 | .876 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 4.3 |
Post-playing career NBA analyst
He has provided his voice for the in-game commentary of EA Sports video games NBA Live 06, NBA Live 07, NBA Live 08, NBA Live 09 and NBA Live 10 with Albert.
It was confirmed on June 28, 2010 that he would return as an NBA analyst for TNT starting with the 2010-11 NBA season.[8] Starting in 2011, Kerr will call the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship on Turner Sports and CBS, teaming up with lead broadcasters Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg for the First Four and Final Four games, and with Albert in other rounds.
General manager position with the Suns
On April 15, 2004, Kerr was announced as a member of a potential group of buyers that would acquire his old team, the Suns, from Jerry Colangelo for US$300 million. He became part of Suns management, acting as a consultant.[9][10]
On Feb 6, 2008, reports surfaced that Kerr was planning to trade Phoenix Suns forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks to the Miami Heat in exchange for Shaquille O'Neal, which he did. The Suns were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
On December 10, 2008, Kerr continued to remake the Suns roster by trading away Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean Singletary to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley, and the Charlotte Bobcats 2010 Second Round draft pick.[11]
On June 25, 2009, Kerr decided to trade the 5th all time leading scorer, Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a future second-round draft pick and cash.
On May 5, 2010, the Suns wore Los Suns jerseys in Game 2 against the Spurs as to be united against the controversial Arizona immigration law. Kerr himself compared the law to Nazi Germany.[12]
On June 15, 2010 Kerr stepped down as President and GM of the Suns.
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