Steve Kerr

Starred review from May 3, 2021
In this thrilling biography, journalist Howard-Cooper (Tim Duncan) looks back at the trophy-laden career of player-turned-coach Steve Kerr. Written with an emphasis on Kerr’s charismatic personality, the narrative follows him from his days as a UCLA ball boy to becoming one of the most successful basketball coaches in history, having led the Golden State Warriors to three titles (in addition to the five he won as a player). Along the way, Kerr overcame severe challenges, most notably the assassination of his father, a high-profile academic, in Beirut in 1984, when Kerr was in college. While the tragedy rocked Kerr’s life, it didn’t stifle his fun-loving spirit, or his passion for basketball. Howard-Cooper documents how Kerr went from a lowly reserve to team leader for the University of Arizona Wildcats and helped them reach the NCAA Final Four, and later joined the Phoenix Suns before beginning a successful stint with the Chicago Bulls in 1993. Though his work as a TV commentator are touched on, his time with the Bulls makes for the most exciting passages, from his first season as a champion (during which he partying with Dennis Rodman) to an evocative detailing of his “slightly flawed” game-winning shot in the 1998 finals. Casual fans and hoops nuts alike will love this illuminating work. Agent: Tim Hays, Tim Hays Media.

May 15, 2021
Maybe the smartest thing longtime basketball reporter Howard-Cooper has done here is to keep out of the way of one of the more unlikely and inspiring stories in all of sports. Nobody in their right mind could have predicted that otherwise middling basketball player Kerr, out of the grievous 1984 assassination of his father, Malcolm, then president of the American University in Beirut, would go on to help lift a mediocre University of Arizona basketball program to national prominence, deliver three-point daggers seemingly at will in helping his Chicago Bulls to three titles and his San Antonio Spurs to two more, and then coach a young, callow Golden State Warriors team to historic success, all while becoming one of the more endearing and approachable pros in the game. The author could have larded hyperbole into his account, but instead he simply lets Kerr's story speak for itself. The result is a compelling account that demands a place in any sports collection.

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Starred review from June 1, 2021

In this riveting biography, veteran basketball writer Howard-Cooper recounts the life of Steve Kerr, head coach of NBA's Golden State Warriors. Fans of Kerr and the Warriors may already be familiar with key moments in the coach's life: his father's political assassination in Lebanon; scorching the nets as a lightly recruited Arizona Wildcats player; and drifting in the NBA for five seasons before finding success with the Chicago Bulls during its era as the Michael Jordan-led juggernaut. Kerr's time with the Bulls comes alive in the author's telling, especially the moment Kerr hit the shot that won the 1997 NBA championship. Kerr's time as popular commentator and coach is also deftly recounted here; he won three NBA titles as head coach for the Warriors after returning to the sport in 2014, and has had to navigate the challenges of leading a team decimated by injuries and free agency during the past two abbreviated seasons. VERDICT Despite a rather abrupt conclusion, this engaging biography is a must-read for basketball fans. Howard-Cooper tells the story of a player who, with luck, pluck, and smarts, has evolved into a top-tier coach and political activist.--Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL

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