Warriors' Steve Kerr to return as head coach on two-year contract
The Golden State Warriors might as well have won another NBA title based on head coach Steve Kerr's joy after their play-in tournament victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
As told by Kerr a few minutes later: "For one night. We're us. We're champions again."
One final night. And perhaps for another.
Kerr and the Warriors have elected to extend the iconic 12-year partnership that brought four NBA championships, six Western Conference crowns, a single-season record 73 wins and some of the most aesthetically pleasing basketball ever to the Bay Area, his agency announced on Saturday. The 60-year-old's contract was due to expire this offseason and meetings with controlling owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy concluded with a new two-year contract for Kerr.
He stays with Golden State with a 604-353 record - for a .631 winning percentage, fourth all-time among those who've coached at least 900 games - and 104-48 postseason mark for the third best winning percentage in playoff history.
More For You
What's driving Steve Kerr? Warriors coach opens up with his future and team's fate at crossroads
As Steve Kerr stands one win from his 600th victory, the coach tells the Chronicle he's no longer losing as much sleep over the losses. Not everyone on the Golden State Warriors believes that.
Warriors signed GM Dunleavy to extension; Green thinks Kerr won't coach next season
Mike Dunleavy is set to continue calling shots for the Golden State Warriors on a new multiyear deal. Less certain is whether Steve Kerr returns, with Draymond Green saying, "I think not."
"I still love coaching, but I get it," Kerr said after Golden State's season ended April 17 with a play-in tournament loss to the Phoenix Suns. "These jobs all have an expiration date. There's a run that happens and when the run ends, sometimes it's time for new blood and new ideas and all that. If that's the case, then I will be just nothing but grateful for the most amazing opportunity any person could ever have."
But it's not the case yet.
Kerr succeeded Mark Jackson as Golden State's head coach in 2014, eschewing interest from the New York Knicks to coach what then was a burgeoning core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green. The motion offense and switching defense the Warriors implemented under Kerr - an alchemist of adjustments in the NBA's postseason - revolutionized basketball as the genesis for their dynasty.
Along with the joyful ethos he preached.
Curry evolved from an All-Star into one of the greatest players in NBA history, pairing in the backcourt with Thompson, an all-time great shooter and rugged defender. Green turned from a tweener to a small-ball center who guarded across opposing lineups, keying their two-way flexibility as an all-time great defender and crafty facilitator.
Iguodala, Kevin Durant - as a two-time NBA Finals MVP - Andrew Bogut, Shaun Livingston, Harrison Barnes, David West, Kevon Looney, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole played critical roles along the way.
"You can't win in this league without great players," Kerr said after his 600th win. "And I was blessed from the day I took this job with incredible talent. … Just to be a part of this (organization), I'm so blessed. Most organizations are not this strong and not this aligned. I'm very lucky."
But age and attrition have weakened the Warriors, who won their last title in 2022 and ended their season short of the playoffs in two of the last three years. A recent report from ESPN noted management's desire for strategic adjustments and better managing turnovers, long a weakness for the Warriors under Kerr.
A midseason email from Lacob to a fan that got leaked revealed frustration, highlighting "Style of play. Coaches desires regarding players. League trends."
Curry and Green, however, hoped he'd return.
They got what they wanted.
"He knows how I feel about it. That shouldn't even need to be said," Curry said after the season ended. "However it goes … you're thankful for what we've been able to accomplish over this run."
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 7:14 PM.