Timeline: Steve Kerr's journey with the Warriors
Steve Kerr’s run with the Warriors will continue past the spring of 2026.
After coaching this season under an expiring contract, the four-time championship coach has agreed to a new two-year deal, a league source confirmed to the Bay Area News Group on Saturday.
Kerr’s new contract, which will extend a year past that of superstar Steph Curry, will keep him the highest-paid coach in the NBA, according to ESPN, which first reported the news.
The Warriors can now turn their attention to the rest of their offseason, including Sunday’s NBA draft lottery, Draymond Green’s player option and the pursuit of another star to combine with Curry and Jimmy Butler.
Here is the long history of Kerr’s time in charge of the Warriors — so far:
May 6, 2014
Mark Jackson is fired
Hired in June of 2011, Jackson was brought in by owner Joe Lacob to replace Keith Smart, who was 36-46 in one season. After a 23-43 season in his first season, Jackson leads the Warriors to back-to-back playoff appearances with 47 and 51 wins but was fired amid a backdrop of friction with management (including team advisor Jerry West) and fostering a poor work environment.
May 14, 2014
Steve Kerr is hired
Kerr turns down an offer from the New York Knicks to work with Phil Jackson, his former coach with the Chicago Bulls, to sign a five-year, $25 million contract to coach the Warriors. Kerr had no head coaching experience, working as an executive with the Phoenix Suns from 2007 through 2010 and then as a TNT television analyst through 2014. Kerr was hired to bring a more offensive mindset to the Warriors as well as foster good relationships with the front office and general manager Bob Myers.
Oct. 24, 2014
First win
In the Warriors’ season opener in Sacramento, Kerr’s first game as a head coach was a 95-77 win against the Kings. Stephen Curry, who initially was dismayed the Warriors had let Jackson go, led the team in scoring with 24 points. The Warriors won their home opener a week later 127-104 behind 71 points from Klay Thompson (41) and Curry (31) and began the season 5-0.
Nov. 9, 2014
First loss
The Warriors fell in Phoenix 107-95, where Kerr had served as team president of basketball operations and general manager from 2007 through 2010.
Dec. 14, 2014
Running away with the Western Conference
The Warriors beat the New Orleans Pelicans on the road 128-122 in overtime for their 16th consecutive win and improved their record to 21-2. Curry has 34 points, Thompson 29, and Draymond Green has 11 points, five assists, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots.
April 15, 2015
Invincible at Oracle
A 133-126 win over the Denver Nuggets completes a franchise-best 67-15 record and 39-2 at home. Thompson led the Warriors with 24 points as the Warriors went into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. It was the most wins ever for a rookie head coach, leading Kerr to be runner-up to Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer (60-22) for NBA Coach of the Year.
June 16, 2015
NBA champions
Finals MVP Andre Iguodala and NBA MVP Curry score 25 points each as the Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 on the road to win their first NBA title since 1974-75. Trailing the Cavaliers 2-1, Kerr replaced Andrew Bogut with Iguodala for a smaller starting lineup and the Warriors won the last three games and were 16-5 in the playoffs.
Oct. 1, 2015
Back misery
The Warriors announced Kerr would go on an indefinite leave of absence to deal with chronic pain caused by a spinal fluid leak following back surgeries in July and August. Assistant coach Luke Walton led the Warriors to a 24-0 start and 39-4 before Kerr returned to the bench on Jan. 22 and the Warriors finished the regular season with an all-time record of 73 wins. (All wins credited to Kerr). Despite the missed time, Kerr was named NBA Coach of the Year for the first time.
Jan. 5, 2016
Fastest to 100
The Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 109-88, earning Kerr his 100th win as a head coach in his 117th-game — the fastest to 100 wins in NBA history.
June 19, 2016
Coming up short
The Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, losing three times to the Cleveland Cavaliers and series MVP LeBron James, losing 93-89 in Game 7. The Warriors had overcome a 3-1 deficit against Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals to win the series and advance to the finals.
July 4, 2016
Kevin Durant comes aboard
Forward Kevin Durant announced his decision to join the Warriors as a free agent on a two-year, $53.4 million contract in the Players’ Tribune, giving Kerr one of the most talented rosters in NBA history but with the challenge of distributing the scoring between Curry, Thompson and Durant.
June 12, 2017
Reasserting dominance
The Warriors won the NBA title at Oracle 129-120 in five games against Cleveland, avenging the previous year’s result. Durant was named series MVP. The Warriors were 67-15 in the regular season with Durant and Curry each averaging 26.4 points per game. They swept Portland, Utah and San Antonio and were 16-1 in the playoffs.
June 8, 2018
Back to back
Playing Cleveland for the fourth straight season in the finals, the Warriors won their third title in four years with a four-game sweep. With Curry missing 31 games with ankle and MCL issues, the Warriors were 58-24 and second in the Western Conference to Houston. The Warriors overcame a 3-2 deficit in the West finals to advance to the finals.
June 13, 2019
Durant, Thompson go down, so do Warriors
The Toronto Raptors won the NBA Finals in six games, with Durant going down (torn Achilles) in Game 5 after earlier missing nine games with a calf strain. Thompson was lost in Game 6 with a torn ACL. The Warriors had key players miss 26 games overall in the postseason after a Western Conference-best 57-25 record in the regular season for their fifth straight season of 50 or more wins.
March 10, 2020
Look out below
Thompson missed the entire season with a torn ACL. Curry played in five games after surgery to repair a broken second metacarpal. Durant left for Brooklyn on a sign-and-trade deal. The season ended prematurely when the league shut down because of COVID-19 and the Warriors finished 15-50 — the first losing season under Kerr.
Nov. 18, 2020
Thompson out again
Thompson tore his Achilles tendon during a workout, costing him another season, with Kerr losing an important piece. He wouldn’t return until January of 2022.
May 21, 2021
Early exit
The Warriors lost both play-in games, with the final nail a 117-112 overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies after first losing 103-100 to the Los Angeles Lakers. James Wiseman, selected with the No. 2 overall of the draft by virtue of the Warriors’ 15-50 season the previous year, was a non-factor.
April 2, 2022
Back in the postseason
Kerr and the Warriors clinched their first playoff berth since 2018-19 with a 111-107 win over the Utah Jazz. After a 41-13 start, the Warriors survived an injury-plagued 7-16 stretch to be the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a 53-29 record.
June 16, 2022
Playoff grit
The Warriors won their fourth NBA title in eight years with a 103-90 win over the favored Boston Celtics. Trailing 2-1 in the series, the Warriors rode a heroic performance by Curry (43 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) in Game 4 in Boston to turn the series in their favor. It was the last NBA title won by Kerr’s Warriors. Key contributors during the run included forward Andrew Wiggins and guard Jordan Poole.
Oct. 5, 2022
Draymond Green vs. Jordan Poole
Kerr faced one of his biggest challenges as Warriors coach when Green slugged Poole during training camp, with Poole crumpling to the floor in a video that was leaked by someone employed by the Warriors.
May 12, 2023
Ousted by Lakers
The Warriors lost 4-2 in the second round to the Lakers after a 4-3 win against Sacramento in the opening round. Curry averaged 29.4 points in 56 regular-season games and the Warriors were 33-8 at home but beset by inconsistency in the Poole-Green aftermath.
May 30, 2023
GM Bob Myers steps down
Myers, with whom Kerr has long had a good relationship, decided to move on to other endeavors, with Mike Dunleavy eventually taking his place.
June 22, 2023
Poole sent packing
The Warriors traded Poole as part of a package to receive veteran guard Chris Paul, long a franchise nemesis.
April 16, 2024
A quick exit in Sacramento
The Warriors lost 118-94 to the Kings in a play-in game, ending their postseason after a 46-36 regular season in which they were the 10th seed in the West. Curry averaged 26.4 points per game, but Paul played in just 58 games after fracturing his left hand and averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists.
Aug. 10, 2024
Gold in France
Adding a gold medal to his nine NBA titles (four with the Warriors, one as a player), Kerr coaches the United States to a 98-87 win over host France in the men’s basketball final of the 2024 Olympics. The United States were 6-0, and Curry had 24 points in the gold medal game — all on 3-pointers.
May 14, 2025
Out of gas in Minnesota
A Feb. 5 trade for Jimmy Butler gave the Warriors some juice, but ultimately the season ended losing four consecutive games against a younger, stronger Minnesota team after winning Game 1. Curry was lost to a Grade 1 hamstring strain in Game 1 and didn’t play again. The Warriors’ last hurrah came in the first round when they rallied from a 3-2 deficit to beat Houston twice.
April 17, 2026
End of the line?
Butler was lost to a torn ACL on Jan. 19, essentially ending any chance the Warriors had of being an upper-echelon playoff team. The season ended with a 111-96 loss in a play-in game in Phoenix. Afterward, Kerr said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I still love coaching, but I get it. These jobs all have an expiration date.”
April 27, 2026
No resolution
Kerr reportedly met with Lacob and Dunleavy with no resolution as to whether he will return as Warriors head coach for the 2026-27 season.
May 9, 2026
He’s back
One day before the Warriors learn more about their offseason via the NBA draft lottery, Kerr agreed to a new two-year deal, a source confirmed to this news organization’s Joseph Dycus. That means his contract, which will reportedly keep him the NBA’s highest-paid coach, extends one year beyond that of Curry.
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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 7:51 PM.