Since becoming an NBA head coach for the first time in 2014 - and winning a championship in his rookie year with the Golden State Warriors - Steve Kerr's become known for his compassionate and easy-going style of leadership. He doesn't exactly think the current president of the United States shares those qualities.
For a feature on Kerr's leadership, Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard asked Kerr whether a more abrasive and domineering coaching approach, which Ballard called "Trump-ian," could succeed in today's NBA.
"I think it could have worked 20 or 30 years ago," Kerr said. "Think about Bobby Knight. My personal opinion is Bobby Knight's way smarter than Donald Trump. Bobby Knight was brilliant in a lot of ways ... there was a real foundation in terms of knowing and coaching the game. But he was a bully."
Knight was fired by Indiana in 2000 amid a cloud of controversy that included allegations he'd abused players. He later coached Texas Tech. Kerr, who's been openly critical of Trump in the past, didn't have a more favorable evaluation of the president this time around.
"I think being a bully doesn't work today," he said. "Frankly I think it's why Trump couldn't be more ill-suited to be president, because he's a blowhard. You don't see some of the qualities you talk about, the resilience, the ability to communicate, the compassion ... has anyone ever thought that Donald Trump was a great leader?"
Kerr remains sidelined due to complications from back surgery he underwent two years ago, with Mike Brown coaching the Warriors in the interim. Kerr is expected to travel to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference finals and is hopeful he'll return to the bench before the end of the postseason.
