“It was bad for the rest of the Bulls and their fan base, but it was good for me” – Steve Kerr says Michael Jordan’s first retirement saved his career originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Back in 1993, Steve Kerr was on the verge of being out of the league in his sixth season before finding a home with the Chicago Bulls. At that time, the current Golden State Warriors head coach was excited to play alongside Michael Jordan, even if he was signed on a non-guaranteed contract.
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However, upon finding out that MJ had quit basketball for baseball in the same year, Kerr was quite understandably disappointed, but little did he know it would end up saving his career.
“Yeah. So, it actually was to my benefit in some ways that he went because it opened up a bunch of playing time. It was bad for the rest of the Bulls and their fan base, but it was good for me,” said Kerr on his recent appearance on the “Glue Guy Podcast.”
Kerr reestablished his career with the Bulls
During his first year with the Bulls, Kerr averaged 8.6 points and 2.6 assists per game in 82 games, which was already considered a big improvement compared to the 5.0 points and 2.2 assists per game he racked up prior to his time in Chicago. The most significant difference was that the point guard played 24.8 minutes per game, as compared to his prior stints when he was just seen on the court for about 15.5 minutes.
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According to Steve, it also helped that he was surrounded by certified champions like Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and Bill Cartwright, who all guided the sharpshooter into becoming a winning player on a contending team.
Lo and behold, Kerr ended up playing a vital role not just during Jordan’s absence but when he came back and extended the Bulls’ dynastic reign.
“And then, of course, Michael came back two years later and we started winning, you know, winning again. So it was, you know, what I learned was it’s a lot easier to develop a role, on a great team with great players than on an average team, you know, where everybody’s just kind of confused as to, you know, who’s the man and all that stuff,” said Kerr. “The hierarchy in Chicago allowed me, and the offense allowed me to just plug right in.”
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During his five-year tenure with the Bulls, Kerr’s most notable achievement was the legendary shot he knocked down in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals, which served as a game-winner and resulted in the Bulls’ fifth championship in seven years.
Why Jordan respected Kerr
Even though Kerr admitted that being teammates with Jordan wasn’t easy — especially in 1995 when His Airness came back and was focused on regaining his dominance — he knew that MJ respected him because of his work ethic and mentality. They had their clashes, including the famous practice scuffle where Jordan punched him, but Kerr ultimately earned the six-time champion’s trust by sharing the same relentless approach to winning.
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That trust Jordan had in Kerr led to the latter’s biggest shot in his career, which also earned both a championship. Both players may have had different paths to finding success in the NBA but they were also meant to be each other’s teammates when the timings aligned.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.