The University of Arizona Alumnus / Winter 2008
Shooting Star's Next Challenge
UA and NBA legend Steve Kerr takes on big-time responsibility with the Phoenix Suns.
by Michele Schulze
Jacob Chinn photos
Steve Kerr ’87 defies the cliché that nice guys finish last.
When he stepped onto the UA campus in 1983, he chose creative writing as a major. He planned to become a sportswriter, since it would keep him connected to basketball once his college playing days were over. He didn’t envision a future as a professional athlete.
The basketball gods, however, knew otherwise. Kerr has entered his 20th year with the National Basketball Association (NBA). He’s begun a new chapter as the president of basketball operations and general manager of the Phoenix Suns.
It’s full circle for Kerr, who was drafted by the Suns in the second round, as the 25th pick, of the 1988 NBA draft.
“I’m lucky because when I took this job (in June 2007), we already had a great team,” Kerr says. “My job is not to screw it up. I’m kind of like the Maytag repairman.”
A Maytag repairman would be envious of Kerr’s resume, but would appreciate his self-deprecating sense of humor.
Beloved as a Wildcat, Kerr also made legions of fans during his 15-year NBA career by scoring 5,437 points, playing 16,206 minutes in 910 games, and holding the NBA record for three-point field goal percentage shooting at .454. Oh, and then there are the five NBA championship rings.
After Kerr retired from playing in 2003, he spent four years as a broadcaster for Turner Network Television (TNT) with play-by-play man Marv Albert as his partner. He also wrote an online basketball column for Yahoo! Sports.
“I wasn’t surprised when he took the Suns job,” says former teammate and close friend Matt Muehlebach ’91 ’96. “Steve has always been a great decision-maker and no matter what path he goes down, he’s been a winner. I might have predicted he would have been a coach, but the Suns job is a perfect fit for his skills. He’s well-rounded and is a great team guy.”
Kerr says he felt the job would be right, in part, because of his relationship with Suns owner, and UA alumnus, Robert Sarver ’82. Sarver had season tickets during Kerr’s playing days at the UA. When Sarver was looking into buying the Suns, Arizona Head Coach Lute Olson introduced him to Kerr, who then introduced him to NBA business people.
Kerr became a minority owner-partner when Sarver bought the Suns in 2004 for a record $401 million. Kerr’s role soon expanded to trusted advisor and management consultant to Sarver.
“I was already close to the situation here, and when the job came up I knew I could fill the role,” Kerr recalls.
Not that Kerr jumped in without reflection or consulting his support system — wife Margot, Olson, agent Mark Bartelstein, and in addition to Muehlebach, UA teammates Jud Buechler and Bruce Fraser ’88.
“I was concerned family-wise,” he confesses. “I didn’t want to have to move the kids yet again, so they stayed in California.”
Kerr and wife Margot ’88, who met at the UA, have three children — Nicholas, 15, Madeleine, 13, and Matthew, 9. “I was away two-to-three days a week when I was broadcasting and this is a job that can be done with three full days in the office.”
In addition to overseeing one of the NBA’s top-10 players’ payroll, Kerr also is responsible for 200 employees. “I do this with a lot of communication and make sure everyone feels that they’re part of this team. It’s not just about yourself and your own work ethic.”
He keeps his finger on the franchise’s pulse with weekly meetings with all the Suns department heads. They deal with all aspects of the business, from ticket sales to community involvement. With “a lot” of Arizona State University grads around, they keep the rivalry fun and alive, at least where basketball is concerned.
Lessons learned in personnel management classes taught by UA Associate Dean and Professor J. Robert Hendricks have stayed with Kerr. When managing people, the professor taught, the little things matter, too. Hendricks told the class he would frequently write notes to people for a job well done.
Once, at a gathering at a person’s home who’d received such a note, Hendricks saw it framed and hanging on the wall. His point to the young students was that such a small gesture of appreciation is powerful and stays with the recipient for a long time.
“I learned so much from him about managing people,” Kerr reflects. “You can get caught up in all the things that go on, but Professor Hendricks was right, and I use what I learned from him all the time.”
Kerr’s office is an apt reflection of the man who occupies it. Sleek, modern, and welcoming — with a variety of pictures of Kerr with family, friends, teammates, and even a U.S. president. The photos are courtesy of Margot, otherwise the shelves would still be empty, he notes. It also is a work in progress as stacks of papers and notebooks in abundance occupy his desk. From this corner office overlooking downtown Phoenix, Kerr reflects on the Suns’ 40-year history.
The community has been “fantastic” in its support, and has made Phoenix a rabid basketball city. He illustrates the point by drawing a parallel to college sports.
“College sports are in your blood, a part of you. In the NBA it can be very different. That’s why it’s been very difficult for the expansion teams. They have no history, no connection with their community. The love for the Suns has been passed on from generation to generation, and we’re proud to be part of this community.”
He adds, “We’re definitely a basketball town. But you have to get good people in place. Our players are active in the community. There is so much turnover in the NBA. The average career is just four years, so what you hope is to have a cornerstone of eight to 10 players.”
Just as in college sports, winning sells tickets. So does strong competition. “The NBA is unique because we are reliant on good competitors,” he says. “We want them to do well because we need 30 good teams to play.”
Sam Presti became the Seattle SuperSonics’ general manager around the same time Kerr stepped into his new role. Presti knew Kerr for four seasons while Kerr was a veteran player and Presti was a young, fast-rising executive. He would eventually become the vice president and assistant general manager of the Sonics. Kerr always was willing to share his time and thoughts, Presti recalls.
“Steve was just a tremendous person for me and I was at an entry level. It’s great to see him do something that he has a passion for. I really enjoy him on a personal level because what you see is what you get. Steve has been a great resource for me in my new job. He has tremendous knowledge and I can always bounce an idea off of him. You can’t help but pull as hard as you can for a guy with a pure heart. I am fortunate I’ve gotten to know Steve.”
Every aspect of the Suns’ business falls under Kerr’s purview. He’s on the other side of the table now as he negotiates player contracts. He watches the bottom line like a hawk, from tickets to team apparel, merchandise sales, and everything in between. The Suns’ player payroll this season is the seventh-highest in the NBA at $78.3 million.
He readily acknowledges salaries and ticket prices make the franchise dependent on the economy.
Money, instant fame, and the pressure to win are just a few of the issues today’s professional athletes deal with. Kerr is not shy to say that emotional maturity is as important as physical ability in the NBA. The current NBA eligibility policy is age 19 — requiring that athletes are one year removed from high school or have one year of college basketball experience.
“No one 18 to 19 is prepared to deal with the pressure,” Kerr says. “I would have preferred players be two years removed from high school before they can join the league. The influx of talent from high school is incredible. These guys are skilled physically, but they don’t have the life skills, and if they spent a couple of years in college they would learn so much.”
Early entry into the NBA wasn’t an option for Kerr, so he relished his five years at the University of Arizona. He met his wife, and earned a general studies degree in 1988 with a concentration in English, sociology and geography.
His UA experience “meant everything to me and still does,” Kerr says.
Lute Olson is responsible not just for teaching Kerr the game, he noted, but also teaching him how to win. Kerr was a player at the beginning of the Olson era and his 1988 team was the first to reach the Final Four. Olson and Kerr’s relationship, and the lessons learned, remain strong.
Much of Kerr’s adult life has been spent in the public eye and there isn’t much that fans don’t know about him. He did reveal one thing, however. He’s an ardent surfer and tries to ride the waves weekly, giving him a chance to put everything else aside (Buechler is his trainer). “Free therapy” Kerr calls it.
With the college basketball season in full swing, Kerr will spend time on the road, scouting potential draft picks, including a trip to McKale Center where he will evaluate today’s Wildcats.
And what about hearing Steeeeeeeve Kerrrrrrrr?
“Every once in a while I will be in an arena somewhere and will hear it,” Kerr says with a wide smile. “It’s very flattering — and a great memory.”
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