600th Win Puts Warriors Coach Steve Kerr in Rare Company

Only three other active coaches have reached that milestone, none faster than Kerr, who did it in 943 games. That’s the fourth fastest all-time.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr speaks in New York on Feb. 29, 2024. Peter K. Afriyie/AP Photo

Steve Kerr joined rare coaching company on Monday with his 600th career win.

The Golden State Warriors’ 125–117 victory over the Washington Wizards secured the mark for Kerr. He became the fourth-fastest NBA coach to reach 600 wins, behind only Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, and Pat Riley.

“It’s surreal to hear my name in that group, but I can tell you that one thing that bonds us all together—those names and mine—is talent,” Kerr told reporters on Monday. “You can’t win in this league without great players, and I was blessed from the day I took this job with incredible talent.”

Kerr is quite familiar with the other three. He played for both Jackson and Popovich, and he has played against or coached against teams where Riley was the coach or team president.

Kerr played for multiple teams from 1988 to 2003 before he got into coaching with the Warriors in 2014. He has 601 career wins as a player, largely due to his stints on two dynasties between 1993 and 2003: Jackson’s Chicago Bulls and Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs.

As a coach, Kerr has had continued championship success with the Warriors—four NBA titles between 2015 and 2022. He has a single-season record of 73 wins in 2015-2016, which eclipsed the 1995-1996 Bulls team that he played for.

“To work for the Warriors, to be part of this group, amazing group of people, that Joe Lacob and Peter Guber put together, just to be a part of this, I’m so blessed,” Kerr said. “Most organizations are not this strong and this aligned. I’m very, very lucky.”

Despite Kerr’s wild success as a head coach, three others earned their 600th win in fewer games. Jackson made it in 805 games, but he coached two dynasties between the Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Riley did it in 832 games in his tenures with the Lakers, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat. Popovich did it in 887 games, and Kerr made it in 943 games.

Kerr also became the 28th coach overall to reach 600 wins. Only three other active coaches have at least 600 wins: Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks, Rick Carlisle of the Indiana Pacers, and the Heat’s Erik Spoelstra.

Kerr Backs a Shorter Season

If Kerr could have his way, reaching 600 career wins would be harder by virtue of having a shorter season.

Kerr explained his position to SportsNet New York’s Ian Begley on Sunday before a game with the Knicks. Kerr hopes NBA stakeholders will have “meaningful discussion” about the possibility.

“I’m well aware fewer games would mean less revenue which means everybody takes a pay cut and I’m willing to stick my neck out and say I’m all for that because I think the quality of the product is the most important thing,” Kerr told Begley. “So I don’t say these things flippantly. I say these things because I mean them.”

Kerr has seen both sides as a player and coach, and he believes the wear and tear on players has increased over the years. His team has been through it of late with injuries to star guards Jimmy Butler III and Stephen Curry, plus recent injuries to forward Draymond Green and center Kristaps Porzingis.

Kerr explained that players are going faster and covering more distance in games “compared to 20-30 years ago,” and that there’s a link to soft-tissue injuries increasing. Kerr has also voiced his concerns about practice time availability, especially on road trips.

“We have incredible people in this league and great fans. I just want to make sure we give our fans the very, very best product we can and try to satisfy all of our corporate partners,” Kerr said. “And I just think there’s probably a way to do that without just completely—I don’t know, ignoring some of the obvious [schedule-related injury] issues we’ve established.”