- The incident occurred in 1984, while Steve Kerr was a student at Arizona State University.
- His performance seemed to have boosted his stock enough to make him an NBA player.
- He’s one of the NBA’s most outspoken characters on social concerns that continue to plague the country.
- Kerr may be attempting to teach his players that the world does not revolve just around basketball.
“It’s unfortunate that a basketball coach is more articulate, clever, and determined about this tragedy than every politician in this country.”
That was Steve Kerr’s passionate plea to the nation following yet another school massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 students and two instructors.
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stepping over the line
The incident occurred in 1984, while Steve Kerr was a student at Arizona State University.
His father was a university professor who specialized in Middle Eastern and Arab studies.
Malcolm Kerr, president of the American University of Beirut, was shot in the hallway outside his office.
Kerr cried during a moment of silence before tipoff two nights after his father died.
He then wiped his emotions away, came off the bench, and made his first jumper.
He finished 5-of-7 out that night while grieving the loss of the most important man in his life.
When Kerr went onto the hardcourt, his fears seemed to fade. Sadly, this did not last long.
To cowardly basketball trolls, Malcolm Kerr’s death was only forbidden for a few years.
“But by 1988, when Kerr was a fifth-year senior rehabbing from a ruptured ACL, the court was no longer a haven.”
According to ESPN, a group of 10 to 15 fans chanted “P-L-O” and “Where’s your dad?” at him during warm-ups before a game at Arizona State.
Kerr’s injuries were still raw. He raced back to the seat, his eyes welling up with tears.
He took some time to process his feelings. We can say he needed that moment to transform the vitriol of the crowd into gasoline.
The guard scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half alone. He was also 6-for-6 from downtown.
His performance seemed to have boosted his stock enough to make him an NBA player.
“There’s no doubt they forced me to play my best,” Kerr remarked that night.
Outspoken
This is why he’s one of the NBA’s most outspoken characters on social concerns that continue to plague the country.
Kerr made news after delivering a passionate speech about the Texas elementary school shooting.
This isn’t the first time Kerr has written about such topics.
In private, he allegedly has his players read books that do not necessarily concern basketball but cover a wide range of interesting topics.
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In 2018, the Warriors even took local students to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
It was in response to then-US President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind the invitation to the White House.
Kerr may be attempting to teach his players that the world does not revolve just around basketball.
The sport plays a minor significance in the growth of the world.
As NBA players, it is only natural for them to use their platform to raise social consciousness among their peers.
What greater cause to advocate than the safety of children aged 8 and 9 in schools?
