David Sheets Long-form Reflection

David Sheets

2/16/20

Professor Wortman

            The long-form piece “Steve Kerr is the King of Cool: Drama X Joy X Defeat = Destiny on Repeat” by Erik Malinowski from Bleacher Report is one of my favorite long-form pieces in the sports genre. Malinowski does a great job of capturing the essence of all things Steve Kerr, from his attitude, work-ethic, personality, playstyle and coaching philosophies. Kerr is one of the most well-respected coaches in the NBA after his long tenure as an NBA player. He was a sharpshooter on three Chicago Bulls championship teams alongside Michael Jordan, as well as a two-time champion on the San Antonio Spurs. Throughout the article, Malinowski details Kerr’s rise to the NBA alongside the support of his father. He begins by describing the relationship Steve Kerr had with his father, Malcolm Kerr, and how that helped shape Steve as a player and eventual coach. Malinowski’s writing style and word choice in describing Steve Kerr and his father is strong. He conveys the personality of both individuals in an emotional and enduring way that captures both Steve and his father’s similar attitudes.

He describes Steve Kerr’s father, Malcolm, as a “worldly man, capable of disarming you with a smile before systematically picking apart your argument. When Kerr spoke, he compelled others to listen.” Malcolm Kerr commanded peoples respect and did so with a smile. In many ways, Malinowski describes, Steve Kerr has continued his father’s legacy. “Kerr maintains his father’s smile, preaching the gospel of joey whenever he can, but there’s a competitive fire in him that’s been forged by the greatest success and the most painful loss.” This competitive fire materialized after the unexpected murder of his father on January 18, 1984. Steve was awoken to the news of his father’s death at 1:30 a.m. by a family friend. His father had been killed by two assassins outside of his office in Lebanon. Steve decided that the best way to cope with his father’s loss was to continue playing basketball, fueling his competitive fire. “I felt like the best thing to do was just to play, get away from it,” Kerr said. It turns out Steve was right, swishing his first two baskets in his first game back for Arizona. He ended the game with a career high 12 points and Arizona won the game 71-49.

 Malinowski continues describing Kerr’s self-deprecating, yet calm and confident personality, “he is self-effacing, even though his body has been giving out on him since he was 20. He is a convincing strategist without being a jerk about it.” This description of Steve sounds a lot like that of his father, and it’s a huge aspect of his success as a player and coach. “Part of who I am,” Kerr said to B/R Magazine, “is just finding the humor and the irony in the bullshit that exists in the world and our everyday lives. We try to exploit that and have fun.” This snippet into Kerr’s coaching style is easy to see on the court. Not only did he help coach the Golden State Warriors to two championship titles, three finals appearances in a row, and the best regular season record of all-time, but the joy his players have on the court is obvious even on the television screen. Kerr’s offense is fluid, the ball constantly moving and players unselfishly buying in to this system. Anyone who has consistently watched basketball for the past few years has likely seen incredibly unselfish strings of plays from the Warriors where the ball moves around between teammates like a hot potato, only to find a shooter like Steph Curry wide open and celebrating an easy bucket.

The Warriors have fun when they play, which was a large reason why Kevin Durant decided to join forces with them after leaving Oklahoma City. Malinowski continues doing a great job of drawing parallels between the attitude Kerr learned from his father and the style of coaching he implements on the Warriors players. “Looking for panic in Kerr’s face is a waste of time, because there’s that comforting squint around the edges of his eyes when he smiles at you. No desperation here. Just the gospel: ‘We make fun of each other,’ [Kerr] says. ‘We make fun of ourselves and try to laugh and keep it light.” Malinowski continues, ‘Some of that outlook comes from his dad, but Kerr has refined a persona of eminent calm- a gravity amid the chaos… This is who Steve Kerr is: Driven by anger and ebullience, with good humor to spare, in one of America’s most high-pressure professions, his life has been defined by impossible choices every which way.”

In short, this long-form piece is one of my favorite because Malinowski does not hold back on his writing style. He has a clear, distinct voice in his writing that does a great job of complimenting Steve Kerr and his father’s portrayed personalities. His vivid descriptions take the reader on a journey through Steve’s life and leave few stones unturned. By the end of his article, the reader leaves with a strong understanding of Steve Kerr the player, the coach and the man as influenced by his father Malcolm. It details the emotional and physical turmoil Steve has endured and how he used that to his benefit, even if self-deprecating at times. This article offers the reader a vivid, holistic and honest approach into the complicated life of “The King of Cool” Steve Kerr.