(Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports)
The 90's era of the NBA is an era that stands apart from all other decades throughout the history of basketball. It is defined not only by the greatest player of all-time but it also seemed as if every player in the league had a certain swagger about them. The play was hard-nosed, the players were tough, the jerseys were cool, and the haircuts were even cooler. This 10 year span has a certain nostalgia about it which makes it fun to look back at. Players fade out of memory over time as with everything else in this world but it is my job to bring some of these 90's players back to the forefront of your memory with this new feature called Forgotten 90’s Player of the Week.
The NCAA Tournament is in full force as the field will be narrowed down to the Final Four by the end of this weekend. The first weekend was full of underdogs pulling off big time upsets and this week’s feature was a true underdog throughout his entire career. The player being showcased this week is none other than the all-time three-point shooting king Steve Kerr. Now if you grew up during the 90’s you undoubtedly know who Steve Kerr is. He was known nationwide as the point guard for the Bulls that gave every small white kid in America hope of someday reaching basketball’s promised land. Becoming the next Michael Jordan always seemed like a far-fetched dream between me and all of my friends but becoming the next Steve Kerr? Now that seemed attainable.
Kerr’s alma mater, the University of Arizona, is still alive in this year’s tourney and they are one of the favorites to move on and keep dancing all the way to AT&T Stadium in Dallas. But it was Kerr who was on the first Arizona team that made it to the Final Four and put the school on the college basketball map in 1988. It was only the third time in school history that the Wildcats even made it past the first round of the tournament and they haven’t looked back since. The 1987-88 Arizona team was led by First Team All-American and future San Antonio Spur Sean Elliott but leaned on Kerr to hit the big shots when the game was on the line. Kerr shot an incredible 57% from the three-point line while being named a Second Team All-American as a senior. The 1988 group still holds the best record in school history at 37-3 and the university really became a national powerhouse in part because of Elliott and Kerr. Also, an interesting fact about that squad is that future MLB star centerfielder Kenny Lofton was one of the backup point guards – you’re welcome for that new fact to use while watching the games with your buddies this weekend. But the magical run ended in the Final Four when they lost to an Oklahoma team that included three future first round picks in Harvey Grant, Stacey King, and Mookie Blaylock.
Kerr was taken in the second round of the 1988 draft by Phoenix. He was sparingly used and only appeared in 26 games for the Suns in his rookie year. This was his only season spent in Phoenix as his contract was only guaranteed for his rookie season. He then received an opportunity to play in Cleveland and signed with the team as a free agent. As the backup point guard to Mark Price, he came off the bench to lead the NBA in three-point shooting percentage at 50%. After his second year in the league, it seemed to be clear that the sharpshooter from Arizona found his niche and was going to be a solid role player. Nevertheless, his minutes declined in Cleveland over the next two seasons and he was shipped to Orlando at the beginning of the 1992 season for just a future second round draft pick.
His NBA career was almost at a standstill after only playing in garbage time minutes with the Magic. It looked as if this was the end of the road for the journeyman backup point guard. He had shown flashes of brilliance but was not being given a chance to contribute. The options were essentially to give up playing basketball or to sign a minimum deal with a franchise and try to catch onto a roster. Luckily for all of us, he chose the latter. He signed a one year contract worth $150,000 to play for Phil Jackson and the Chicago Bulls. The rest is history but I’ll provide a refresher course just in case history wasn’t one of your strong subjects in school.
Kerr came to a Bulls team that had just won three titles in a row but had also recently lost Michael Jordan to the game of baseball. The expectations were still high for Chicago though, and Kerr was thrown into the rotation immediately. He played every single game during his first year and averaged a career high in minutes and points per game while playing behind B.J. Armstrong. Unfortunately, they were knocked out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals after a hard fought seven game series against the Knicks.
Now obviously Kerr wasn’t brought in to replace the greatest player of all-time but he had established himself as a consistent shooter and became a team leader in the locker room. He had also become a personal favorite of Coach Jackson after his first year and was signed to a multi-year contract after the season ended. He came out the next year and did more of the same while once again leading the league in three-point shooting percentage. The Bulls were bolstered by Jordan’s return late into the 1995 season but were again unable to reach the Finals and were beaten by the Magic in the East semis.
By the time the 1996 season rolled around, it was apparent that everyone had figured out their roles within the team. Everything was falling into place and the Bulls won an NBA record 72 games on their way to their fourth title in six years. But it was the next year in the 1997 NBA Finals series versus the Jazz that made Kerr beloved around the world. The man who made the championship clinching shot wasn’t Jordan, Pippen, or even Kukoc. It was the lifetime backup point guard who never gave up his dream.
He finally got his opportunity and it came on the grandest stage of them all. The greatest season in professional basketball history was capped off by an unlikely hero and he instantly became one of the NBA’s biggest feel good stories of the decade.
The following year, Chicago continued its dominance and won their third title in a row. The Bulls dynasty ended after the 1998 season and all of the key parts were moved to accommodate the rebuilding process, including Kerr. Before the lockout shortened season of 1999, he was sent to San Antonio to be reunited with former Arizona running mate Sean Elliott. Kerr’s role was reduced with the Spurs and was used more as a veteran leader with championship experience. He continued his winning ways as they won the 1999 title behind David Robinson and a young Tim Duncan. Kerr had now won his fourth NBA crown in a row, not bad for a guy who was buried at the end of Orlando’s bench just six years prior.
He spent the next two years of his career playing sparingly for competitive Spurs teams before being dealt to Portland in the summer of 2001. After only playing one year with the Blazers, he was sent back to San Antonio. Everything came together for Steve in the final year of his career as the Spurs won the 2003 NBA Championship, giving him his fifth ring. He rode off into the sunset, leaving as the all-time career three-point field goal percentage leader at 45.4%.
Retirement was short lived as he became a broadcaster for TNT immediately after his last year on the court. He stayed courtside until he was named the Suns General Manager in 2007, where he encountered some mixed results. After stepping down in 2010, he returned to broadcasting for TNT. He’s also calling games in this year’s NCAA tournament alongside Marv Albert. On top of all of his aforementioned broadcasting/GM work, sources say that he is now being considered to become the head coach of the New York Knicks. This speculation is influenced by the franchise going out and hiring his former coach and longtime friend Phil Jackson as the team President. Staying busy is something that is clearly not a problem for the former Arizona Wildcat.
He wasn’t known for his athleticism and never had any highlight reel dunks during his career, but those very things were what made him so relatable to basketball fans everywhere. Michael Jordan looked and acted like a superstar, but Kerr looked and acted like he was your average Joe coming in to work an eight hour shift. He was never the best or most talented player in the league, or even on his own team for that matter, but he chased his dream and became a symbol for underdogs everywhere. And that is something that should never be forgotten.
Enjoy the tournament!
Taylor Luchtefeld is an NBA addict who writes for The Hoops Manifesto in his spare time. He welcomes your comments on Twitter at @TLucky33 or via email at [email protected]
*In case you missed it:
Glen Rice- Forgotten 90’s Player of the Week
Cedric Ceballos- Forgotten 90’s Player of the Week
Rik Smits – Forgotten 90's Player of the Week
Steve Smith – Forgotten 90's Player of the Week
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