Warriors’ Steve Kerr becomes NBA’s 28th coach to reach 600 regular-season wins

WASHINGTON — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr earned his 600th career regular-season victory in Monday night’s 125-117 win over the Washington Wizards. Kerr became just the 28th coach in league history to reach the 600-win mark, a win that came at an opportune time for a Warriors team that snapped a five-game losing streak. He is the seventh coach to notch 600 wins with a single team, joining Gregg Popovich (1,390 with the San Antonio Spurs), Jerry Sloan (1,221 with the Utah Jazz), Erik Spoelstra (825 with the Miami Heat), Red Auerbach (795 with the Boston Celtics), Red Holtzman (613 with the New York Knicks) and Phil Jackson (610 with the Los Angeles Lakers).

Kerr has repeatedly pointed to the leadership that Warriors star guard Stephen Curry has provided through his 12 years as coach, but Kerr has also done his part by providing a veteran presence for his players who won five NBA championships as a player prior to starting his coaching career with the Warriors. One of Kerr’s strongest qualities during his time as Warriors coach is his ability to connect with a wide array of players. While it doesn’t work in every single case, Kerr’s track record, and four NBA titles in 12 years, underscores that he has done the job as well as any of his peers in this era.

The only three coaches to reach 600 regular-season wins quicker than Kerr are Hall of Famers Pat Riley and the aforementioned Jackson and Popovich. Kerr played for Jackson as a member of the Chicago Bulls and Popovich as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. He has credited both with providing elements of the coaching style he uses today.