WASHINGTON D.C.– Steve Kerr's quest for 600 career wins took a bit of a pause the last two weeks as the Golden State Warriors' five-game losing streak kept him suspended at 599 for a while.
But in the Dubs' 125-117 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday, Kerr finally eclipsed that historic milestone, accomplishing the feat in 943 games—the fourth-fewest games needed to reach the milestone behind only Phil Jackson (805), Pat Riley (832) and Gregg Popovich (887). And with the win, Kerr becomes the 28th coach to surpass 600 wins.
But for the most part, Kerr was more concerned with getting a much-needed win after some bad losses and a storm of injuries.
“I literally haven't thought about it until now,” Kerr said with a laugh. He recalled about how he joked about how many losses it would take to make him the fifth-fastest coach in NBA history, which he thinks might have jinxed them in the process.
But once Kerr began fielding questions about the accomplishment, he thought back on the players who helped him get to that 600 number.
“It's surreal to hear my name in that group,” Kerr said about joining Jackson, Riley and Popovich. “But I can tell you that one thing that bonds us all together, those names and mine, is talent. That's talent. I mean, you can't win in this league without great players. And I was blessed from the day I took this job with incredible talent.”
Steve Kerr lists out his thanks to the Warriors organization
In his thank yous, Kerr started with the player most responsible, Stephen Curry, before going down a long list of players from the past that included Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, David West, Kevin Durant, and Zaza Pachulia.
“All these guys are just amazing. And so I owe, I guess, the honor to the incredible talent and a great organization.”
And after that, Kerr thanked Warriors owner Joe Lacob and co-owner Peter Gruber, as well as a long list of assistant coaches who've helped him along the way, including Ron Adams, Alvin Gentry, Luke Walton, Terry Stotts, Jerry Stackhouse, Bruce Fraser, and Chris Weems.
“I'm so, so blessed,” Kerr emphasized. “Most organizations are not this strong and this aligned, and I'm very, very lucky.”
As for the reception the Dubs' legendary coach got in the locker room, Curry gave him the game ball, and the team celebrated the accomplishment with him. They did forgo a classic water bottle shower, as Kerr said he is too old for that kind of celebration. Regardless, Kerr took in
“These questions and the reception I got in the locker room, [gave me] a time to reflect and be thankful for everything I've been given.”
Other notables from the Warriors' win over the Wizards
- Kristaps Porzingis scored 30 points off the bench, the most in his time with the Warriors thus far. Funny enough, the last Warriors' reserve to score at least 30 points off the bench was Jonathan Kuminga. He scored 34 points back on December 28th in 2024 against Phoenix.
- Jimmy Butler has rejoined the team on this road trip after finally being cleared to fly. He's five weeks removed from his ACL surgery on February 9th.
- Al Horford is not with the team right now after suffering a mild left calf strain against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
