Steve Kerr Named as Gregg Popovich's Replacement as Team USA Men's Basketball Coach

USA Basketball has named Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr its new head coach of the men's national team.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the decision on December 10. USA Basketball also named Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Gonzaga University head coach Mark Few as Kerr's assistants.

Kerr replaces San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who was Team USA's head coach since 2016 and led the Americans to a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Kerr was an obvious choice for Team USA, as he is a future Hall of Fame coach with five NBA Finals appearances, three NBA championships and one NBA Coach of the Year award to his credit.

Aside from his excellence in the NBA, Kerr has a long history with USA basketball as a player and coach.

He was part of the team that won a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship in 1986, and decades later became a coach for Team USA and was part of Popovich's staff at the 2021 Summer Games.

Kerr has huge shoes to fill, as the United States has now won gold at four consecutive Olympics since taking a disappointing bronze in Athens in 2004.

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski led Team USA to gold at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics before handing the team over to Popovich, who continued the streak this year.

One intriguing storyline to follow leading up to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will be whether Kerr has an impact on top stars he has coached opting to be part of the team.

It remains to be seen what level they will be performing at in three years, but Warriors stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green could all be strong candidates for the team, as could former Warriors and current Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.

Regardless of what happens, it is difficult to argue with Team USA's choice, as Kerr has won nearly 70 percent of the games he has coached in the NBA and has Golden State off to a 24-6 start this season.