According to Ricko Mendoza of SB Nation, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr of Los Angeles, California has been named the head coach of the United States Olympic men’s basketball team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Kerr takes over from San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich of East Chicago, Indiana, who coached the United States to Olympic gold at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. In the gold medal game in men’s basketball this past summer, the United States got revenge against France from an opening game loss with a 87-82 win.
Kerr was an assistant coach for the United States at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. As a player representing the United States, Kerr won the gold medal at the 1986 FIBA World Championship in Madrid. In an exciting gold medal game, the United States beat the Soviet Union 87-85. Among the high profile American players on that world championship winning team were Muggsy Bogues, Hall of Famer David Robinson and Kenny Smith.
Kerr has won at the NBA level as a coach and as a player. As a coach, he won three NBA Finals with the Warriors in 2015, 2017, and 2018. On each occasion, the Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The Warriors currently have the second best record in the NBA at 21 wins and five losses. As a player, Kerr won the NBA Finals five times. He won four straight years as a point guard (1996 to 1998 with the Chicago Bulls, and again with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999). Kerr then closed out his NBA career with a fifth championship as a player with the Spurs in 20o3.
In Paris, it will be interested to see how many Warriors will be selected to the team. Stephen Curry appears to be a lock if his body allows it. It will be interesting to see if Klay Thompson will be in the lineup too.
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