Former Golden State Warriors forward Omri Casspi recently had none other than five-time NBA champion coach Steve Kerr as a guest on his podcast, and one of the most memorable moments of the whole interview was when Casspi shared a story that perfectly exhibited Kerr's compassion towards others.
Casspi started by narrating how he once brought over a couple of guests to practice during his time with the Warriors. These weren't any ordinary visitors, though, as they were actually a kid who was terminally ill of cancer and his mom.
Casspi was pleasantly surprised when Kerr asked the pair to watch the entire practice courtside. Moreover, Kerr took the time to talk to the kid and his mom soon afterwards.
“I remember I was going through my daily routine shooting some shots after practice and I saw you talking to the mom,” Casspi explained, via Drew Shiller of NBC Sports. “I said give me 20-30 minutes — I'll shower, stretch, get my ice, etc — I'll come back and take them to lunch. I came back 30-40 minutes after and I see you still there talking to the mom — both of you with tears in your eyes. I'll never forget that picture.
“The next day, you upgraded their tickets, you took them backstage, you got them into the VIP lounge. Klay (Thompson) came over and gave them signed shoes. I remember the son literally with tears in his eyes.”
Casspi then went on to narrate how just a couple of weeks later, the kid passed away.
Kerr shared his thoughts on the matter, and expressed how he feels it is his duty to help these people out in any small way that he can.
“I've always felt that the most important thing that we can do as NBA players and coaches is bring joy to people,” the Warriors coach said. “To our fans, but more importantly to people who are struggling … moments like that always are very grounding, they're very humbling and very emotional.
“They're very important for all of us. I'm glad that visit made such an impact.”
This is just a prime example of how Kerr is not only one of the greatest coaches the NBA has ever seen, but more importantly, how outstanding he is as a human being.
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