Steve Kerr on the joys of being part of a team

Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors, USA Basketball and one of the owners of RCD Mallorca, is surrently on a visit to Spain and spent Tuesday taking a tour of the Antonio Asensio training complex and Son Moix stadium.

The 58-year-old, a winner of nine NBA rings as a player and as a coach, gave an interview to the Balearic club’s media department in which he expressed his surprise with the progress made at the club since his last visit and says he feels very happy with the current social and sporting situation. This morning he took the opportunity to deliver a motivational talk to the first team and made an assessment of the current state of play at Mallorca.

It’s unusual to see people involved in sport speaking so clearly, do you enjoy public speaking?

I think it’s important to use my voice as the head coach of the Warriors, which is how people know me. We have some issues in our country that need to be addressed, especially in gun prevention. I think it’s my duty as a citizen, as an American citizen, to speak out.

What is the key to being a good coach?

I think the key to being a coach is finding the balance between giving the right attention to the players and having empathy for them, but also being their boss and making them aware of that. It’s a tricky balance sometimes, but when you know the players well and build a relationship with them, then they appreciate your style.

In your career as a coach you always gave very interesting talks, even daring to talk beyond sport...

I never spoke out when I was a player in the NBA. Those were different times. Nobody asked you about these issues then. Only a few athletes talked about politics, but times have changed. Many people, whether they are athletes, artists or famous people, speak out. It is part of democracy to use your voice and persuasion to help your country become a better place.

The talk you gave to the team today at Son Bibiloni was not about winning or success in sport, it was about being teammates, working in a team...

I think when I talk to the team it’s always with the mindset that we have to use each other’s strengths to make the team better. We have to fight the human instinct to only care about ourselves. We’re all made the same, we’re human beings. We want the best for ourselves, but there’s something magical about being part of a team. When everyone gives their best to the team, there’s a lot of power around it, but also a lot of joy. That’s what I try to teach my players - that there’s nothing better than being part of a really strong team, and the players understand that.

Apart from height, do you see many differences between soccer and basketball?

I think basketball and soccer are very similar sports. Obviously in soccer there are 11 players and only five in basketball, but there is a lot of action between three people in both basketball and football, trying to make little triangles. You pass to this player and the other player cuts. You try to connect the play through these triangles. I have found a lot of similarities and it is one of the reasons why I really love watching football. I get inspired by watching this sport.

If you had to choose a sports star who has surprised you throughout your career…

Well, I think with Steph Curry, everyone thought he was going to be a good player when he came into the league. I thought he could be Steve Nash because I was with him in Phoenix and I saw him play. I thought, “Maybe Steph could become Steve Nash.” Nash is a Hall of Fame player, but Steph has become one of the greatest players of all time. I don’t know if anyone could have imagined that Curry, with his size, would become the player he is today in the NBA.

Does the fact that teams do not get relegated in the NBA mean there is less pressure?

There’s a lot of pressure in the NBA, even though you don’t have relegation. I wish there was relegation, I really do. I think it’s great to keep the competition strong throughout the season. What happens when teams are doing poorly or have injuries is that there’s no motivation for them to play well throughout the season. However, there’s still a lot of pressure as coaches get fired all the time, and if you don’t do well, you won’t have your job for long. It’s the same for players, so there’s always pressure.

As for your other professional commitments, what are your thoughts on how Mallorca, the club is faring?

I’m always excited about the club, and I joined the ownership group two years ago. I went to the training facility and talked to the team, met Javier [Aguirre] and saw the new stadium renovations that were just starting. Now coming back and seeing how strong the club is, the stadium is beautiful... Javier did a wonderful job and now the new coaching staff is taking over and trying to take another step forward. A lot of the same players are here, but there are some new ones as well. It’s great fun to see the club getting stronger and stronger, and hopefully it will become a powerhouse, a force in LaLiga. I think that’s a possibility.