It’s finally here! The NBA season kicks off tonight in San Francisco, with the Golden State Warriors taking on the Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durrant at the Chase Center.
Getting ready for opening night is Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr, who joined KCBS Radio’s Holly Quan and Matt Pittman to discuss the upcoming season and what’s going on in the world.
Kerr touched on what was going on in Israel and Gaza, sharing more about his own connection to the region and what it means to hear his players speaking out.
“It makes me proud that they have the perspective that comes with actually paying attention to world events and humanity. I’m so proud of our players for many reasons,” Kerr said. “They’re obviously great players, and they’ve hung banners in this building, but they’ve been great citizens, great members of our community.”
Draymond Green shared his thoughts on the situation, something Kerr says makes him happy to see, while also adding that no one has asked him about it yet.
Kerr has a history in the Middle East as his father, Malcolm Kerr, was killed in Beirut, Lebanon while teaching at the American University of Beirut.
Malcolm Kerr was a political scientist who studied the Middle East and even earned the honor of being named the president of the Middle East Studies Association in 1972.
While the former Chicago Bull and nine-time NBA Champion didn’t choose to go into Middle East academia like his father, he has never shied away from using his educational upbringing when it comes to sharing his thoughts on events around the world.
“I wish he were here to explain to me what’s going on, but in the meantime, I’m just so devastated for all the families involved. Those poor Israeli families whose family members were slaughtered. Those poor Palestinian families who are losing family and friends every day with the demolition of Gaza,” Kerr said. “It’s just devastating for everybody, for humanity.”