Steve Kerr on why Jordan played baseball, Pippen-Krause feud, Warriors' plan next season

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr appeared on The Jump with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols to talk about the recently released Michael Jordan documentary, The Last Dance. Kerr talked about being able to relive the final year with the Bulls, along with Michael Jordan’s baseball stint, Scottie Pippen’s surgery before the season and the Warriors' current situation. Drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 1989, Kerr played with the Chicago Bulls for five seasons (1993-1998).

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Steve Kerr on Michael Jordan baseball stint, Scottie Pippen salary and Krause feud, Warriors next move

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Nichols started the interview by asking Kerr about the ten-part docu-series, which everyone is currently talking about. Steve Kerr revealed that while having an all-access crew with them at all times was Michael Jordan’s decision, they all agreed to it as they knew they were in the middle of something historic. Twenty-two years later, Kerr thinks it is ‘amazing’ to take a look at their past, which includes some things even he had forgotten.

Kerr then moved on to talk about how the media scrutiny players face has changed with time. Now, there are tweets which according to Kerr, cause ‘hell to break lose’. Nichols then asked what would have Jordan done if he faced the kind of scrutiny Steph Curry and Kevin Durant did. According to Kerr, the six-time NBA champion would have adapted to it and behaved differently.

While there have been countless rumours about why Jordan left the Bulls to go play baseball, Kerr still thinks it is due to him being ‘fried emotionally’ due to all the scrutiny only he faced. Looking back, Kerr thinks Jordan’s life had been "insane" compared to the others, which is why he needed to step away before coming back.

While speaking to The Athletic a month ago, Kerr had claimed that winning constantly is exhausting and Michael Jordan’s hiatus helped the team win three more titles. Even back then, Kerr believed that his former teammate needed a break. Jordan, who announced his retirement abruptly had later stated that his father’s murder in July 1993 had resulted in his loss of desire to play basketball. He reportedly played baseball because his father had envisioned him as an MLB player.

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Steve Kerr on Scottie Pippen salary and Krause feud

When asked about Pippen’s surgery, Kerr said everyone understood his pain and were there to support him. He called Pippen a very understanding teammate, who made everyone comfortable, which was a contrast to Jordan being hard on the players. Though Pippen missed the first half of their season, Kerr knew he would be back for them when they needed him.

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Nichols’ last question was about the Warriors, and will they like it if the season ended as it is. Kerr said that though they have a shot at the No. 1 pick during the draft, he would like the current best teams in the NBA to play and crown a champion. Though, he added, that while the league is discussing pushing forward the next season to continue this one, it is not his department.

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