Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will return for the 2026-27 NBA season, ending weeks of speculation that he might retire after 12 years in charge, according to multiple team sources.
Kerr, 60, reached the decision during a series of early-May meetings with majority owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. at Chase Center. The coach also spoke privately with franchise cornerstones Stephen Curry and Draymond Green before informing the club that he is “all in” for at least one more run.
The choice caps an emotional month for Kerr. On April 17 the Warriors fell to the Phoenix Suns in a Western Conference play-in game, ending a season defined by injuries to Curry (right knee) and mid-season acquisition Jimmy Butler (torn ACL). In the days that followed, Kerr told confidants he was “95 percent” certain he would step away, citing persistent back pain and a belief that the club needed a fresh start.
Family considerations and conversations with Curry eventually pushed him in the opposite direction. Kerr’s wife, Margot, favored his return because their two grandchildren live a mile from the team’s practice facility, and Curry urged him to finish what they started together. “I’m not a suit; I want the whistle,” Kerr told associates, stressing he preferred coaching to any front-office role that had been offered to him.
The four-time championship coach acknowledged that Golden State faces a roster overhaul. Butler is expected to miss most of next season, and the team traded former lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga to Atlanta at February’s deadline. Even so, Lacob believes Kerr’s creativity can help an aging core remain competitive. “He can solve this new puzzle,” the owner told staffers after the meeting.
Kerr’s return means the Warriors will open training camp in late September with the NBA’s second-longest-tenured coach still on the sideline—only Miami’s Erik Spoelstra has held his current post longer. Contract details were not disclosed, but sources said both sides view the arrangement as a one- to two-year bridge while the franchise plans for a long-term succession plan.
The 2026-27 season will be Kerr’s 13th with Golden State and his 31st in the NBA as player, executive or coach.
Source: ESPN
