Steve Kerr: Health, Career, and Personal Life Explained

There’s a reason Steve Kerr’s life story reads like a script Hollywood couldn’t have written — a 5’10” guard with a jump shot who ended up with nine NBA championship rings, three as a player alongside Michael Jordan and four as the coach of the Golden State Warriors. But behind the hardware is a man who lost his father to political violence at 18, spent years battling a mysterious spinal-fluid condition, and somehow kept returning to the sideline. This article ties those threads together — the titles, the trauma, and the ticking health clock — using verified sources and a dose of perspective.

NBA championships (player): 5 ·
NBA championships (coach): 4 ·
Head coach of: Golden State Warriors ·
Born: September 27, 1965 ·
Father assassinated: January 18, 1984

Six data points, one pattern: Kerr’s biography resists simple categorization — part athlete, part survivor, part executive.

What condition does Steve Kerr have?

Kerr’s health problems trace to a back surgery in July 2015, shortly after the Warriors’ first title under him. A complication led to a cerebrospinal fluid leak that doctors first struggled to diagnose.

Symptoms and treatment of cerebrospinal fluid leak

• Kerr described “severe headaches” and “pain behind his eyes” (ESPN (sports news))
• Physicians considered “new daily persistent headache syndrome” as a possible explanation, not a confirmed diagnosis (ESPN)
• The condition forced Kerr to miss half of the 2015-16 season (NBA.com (official league site))

Impact on coaching career

• Kerr missed 11 games in the 2017 playoffs due to the same spinal fluid leak (FOX Sports (sports journalism))
• In 2025, he again took leave for surgery to repair the leak, then returned to coaching (Golden State Warriors)
• Warriors GM Bob Myers said doctors were unsure of recovery timeline (NBA.com)

The implication: Kerr has coached through chronic pain for nearly a decade — and each leave of absence tests the Warriors’ depth chart as much as his own spine.

How many rings does Steve Kerr have?

Nine total — more than most players or coaches see in a lifetime. But the breakdown between his playing and coaching careers tells two different stories.

Championships as a player

• Three consecutive titles with Chicago Bulls (1996, 1997, 1998) (NBA Coaches Association (professional organization))
• Two titles with San Antonio Spurs (1999, 2003) (USA Basketball (official national team body))
• Total: 5 championship rings as a player (NBA Coaches Association)

Championships as a coach

• Four NBA titles as head coach of the Golden State Warriors (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) (Golden State Warriors)

What this means: Kerr’s ring count alone puts him in the top tier of basketball royalty. Few figures in league history can claim championship success on both sides of the sideline plaque.

Did Michael Jordan apologize to Steve Kerr?

The story of the 1995 practice fight between Jordan and Kerr is one of the most famous incidents in Bulls lore — and the reconciliation is just as legendary.

The 1995 practice fight

• During a training camp scrimmage, Jordan felt Kerr was being physical and threw a punch that hit Kerr in the chest (Chicago Tribune)
• Kerr later said the incident “changed our relationship” (ESPN)

Relationship after the incident

• Jordan apologized to Kerr the next day and they became close friends (Chicago Tribune)
• Kerr said: “He got his pound of flesh and I got his respect” (ESPN)
• The two remain close; Kerr spoke at Jordan’s Hall of Fame ceremony in 2009

“I think Steve and I have an understanding. We’ve been through a lot together.”

— Michael Jordan, as told to the Chicago Tribune

The pattern: A moment of violence turned into a foundation of trust — necessary for the Bulls to win three straight titles.

How was Steve Kerr’s father assassinated?

Malcolm Kerr, an academic and diplomat, was shot outside his office at the American University of Beirut on January 18, 1984.

Malcolm Kerr’s role in Beirut

• He was the president of the American University of Beirut (ADST)
• At the time, Lebanon was in the midst of a civil war

Circumstances of the assassination

• Two gunmen approached Kerr as he parked his car and shot him multiple times (ADST)
• No group claimed responsibility, though Islamic Jihad was suspected
• Steve Kerr was a freshman at the University of Arizona when he learned of his father’s death (ADST)

“I think I can handle just about anything now because of what happened to my father.”

— Steve Kerr, in a 2019 interview with The Athletic

Does Steve Kerr speak Arabic?

Kerr spent much of his childhood in the Middle East, where his father worked at universities in Cairo and Beirut.

Childhood in the Middle East

• Kerr lived in Egypt and Lebanon as a child (NBA Coaches Association)
• He attended the American Community School in Beirut

Language abilities

• Kerr has said he can understand some Arabic but does not speak it fluently (ESPN)
• He has used Arabic phrases in public appearances, but proficiency level is unclear

The trade-off: Kerr’s multicultural background gives him a global perspective rare in NBA coaches — but he stopped short of full bilingualism after moving to the US for college.

For coaches and fans alike, Kerr’s career is a masterclass in turning trauma into trust and health crises into comebacks. The next play is already being drawn up — and if history is any guide, he’ll execute it with the same quiet steel he’s shown for four decades.

For a deeper look at the spinal fluid leak that nearly ended his coaching career, see Steve Kerrs health and career.

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