Steve Kerr: Ready for the Moment Before Anyone Thinks It's Coming
The players who seem "lucky" were ready all along
Our Ask - Edition 4 of 9
Read each email and reply with one simple answer: would you share this with at least one player on your team?
If yes, tell us what made it worth sharing. If not, tell us why.
As long as we receive your feedback, we will keep sending you The Daily Teammate during this test.
It’s Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals. The score between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz is even at 86. With Under 30 seconds on the clock, Dennis Rodman grabs a rebound and Chicago calls timeout.
In the huddle, Coach Phil Jackson draws up the play. Everyone in the building assumes the same thing: the ball is going to Michael Jordan.
Jordan knew it, too. So he turned to Steve Kerr and said, “‘This is your chance,’ because I knew (John) Stockton is going to come over and help and I’m going to come to you.”
Kerr had been struggling in the series, shooting only ~30 percent from the field. But he remained confident in his ability. His response to Jordan: “I’ll be ready, I’ll knock it down.”
The play unfolded exactly as Jordan predicted. He caught the ball on the left wing, drove, and drew the double-team. He pump-faked, stepped through, and then found the wide open Kerr near the top of the key.
Kerr nailed the jumper to put the Bulls ahead with five seconds left.
Here’s the play that sealed the Bulls’ second consecutive NBA championship, and their fifth championship in seven years (1:38)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWy-5hZW9mI
“He’s so good that he draws so much attention, and his excellence gave me the chance to hit the game-winning shot in the NBA Finals,” Kerr recalled. “What a thrill. I owe him everything.”
None of it happens without the years of full-effort preparation that made Jordan trust Kerr in the first place. Kerr was a reserve for most of that series, but he still took every rep with intention. He stayed ready. When the moment came, he delivered.
Why It Matters
Players who stay ready, mentally and physically, in a reserve role give their team a resource most opponents don’t have: a trusted option in high-pressure moments.
Coaches don’t call on players they aren’t sure about when the game is on the line. Kerr had earned that trust long before Game 6.
Deliberate preparation is a form of leadership. It signals to everyone around you that the team comes before your playing time.
The Teammate Standard
The players who change games aren’t always the ones who play the most. They can be the ones who stay ready the longest.
Are your preparing like your moment is coming? Are you building game reps in practice, or waiting for the game to do it for you?