Fresh off leading Team USA to gold at the Paris Olympics, Steve Kerr has officially staked his claim in the U.S. presidential race.
The Golden State Warriors and men’s USA Basketball head coach spoke at the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Monday and made his case for voters to elect Vice President Kamala Harris as president over former President Donald Trump in November.
For most of his roughly seven-minute speech, Kerr kept the subject matter to his pride in coaching Team USA to gold and his reasons for endorsing Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
He saved his first reference to Trump for his walk-off line, when he invoked the trademark celebration of Team USA and Warriors star Stephen Curry.
“It’s why I’m here tonight,” Kerr said. “It’s why I’ll be getting out every day to help people get out and vote on Nov. 5 and elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as the next president and vice president of the United States.
“And after the results are tallied that night, we can — in the words of the great Steph Curry — we can tell Donald Trump, ‘night night.'”
“In the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump… night night!”
Steve Kerr at the Democratic National Convention 🤣pic.twitter.com/HcGs9jv4UQ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 20, 2024
Kerr speaks on same night as Hillary Clinton, President Joe Biden
Kerr was invited to speak among a lineup of Democratic heavyweights that included former U.S. Senator, Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) ahead of Monday’s keynote speaker President Joe Biden. He appeared on stage shortly after a surprise appearance from Harris herself, who wasn’t scheduled to speak until the final night of the convention on Thursday.
Kerr took the stage with a nod to his Chicago background and Bulls fans in the building. As he walked to the podium, the United Center’s public address system blared the iconic introduction music from 1990s Bulls home games as a video of one of the biggest shots in Bulls history played on the video screen. Kerr hit the game-winning jumper on an assist from Michael Jordan in game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals that secured the fifth NBA championship of the Jordan Bulls dynasty.
“It is so fun to be back here in the United Center,” Kerr said. “As you guys know, a lot of good stuff happened in this building — especially in the 90s. You young people, Google “Michael Jordan,” and you can read all about it.”
He then touted his men’s team’s and the USA women’s team’s gold medal victories at the Paris Olympics as examples for unity in politics and governance.
“I cannot think of a better metaphor for what this country is all about than the way Team USA came together at the Olympics,” Kerr said. “We have players from across our wonderful country — players who have trained and fought relentlessly — shed tears trying to beat one another throughout their careers — joining forces to wear the red white and blue.
“And when we won — the American flag raised to the rafters, the national anthem playing, gold medals draped around the necks of our players whose hands were held over their hearts — it was the proudest moment of my life.”
Why Kerr decided to speak at DNC
Kerr said that he was asked to speak at the DNC a few days after the gold-medal victory, an invitation “I could never have imagined.” An outspoken advocate for gun reform and issues of social justice, Kerr then addressed the risks of speaking out on politics from his position as a basketball coach.
“I can see the ‘shut up and whistle’ tweets being fired off as we speak,” Kerr continued. “But I also knew as soon as I was asked that it was too important as an American citizen not to speak up in an election of this magnitude.”
He then went on to make his case for the Harris-Walz ticket.
“I believe in a certain kind of leadership,” Kerr said. “I believe that leaders must display dignity. I believe that leaders must tell the truth. I believe that leaders should be able to laugh at themselves.
“I believe that leaders must care for a love the people that they are leading. I believe that leaders must possess the knowledge and expertise but with the full awareness that none of us has all the answers. And in fact, some of the best answers often come from members of the team.
“And if you look for those qualities in your friends or your boss or an employee or your child’s teacher or your mayor, then shouldn’t you want those same qualities in your president?”
Kerr wrapped his speech with another call for unity among Americans with “all 330 million of us playing on the same team” before his mic-drop moment that drew roars and applause from the DNC crowd.