Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently signed a two-year contract extension and credits a conversation with tennis legend Roger Federer as a key to the team’s sustained success. Federer shared that a fulfilling family life and love for the game, combined with work ethic and mindfulness, were more important than relentless overexertion.
During the 2017 NBA Global Games in China, while the Warriors were in Shanghai, Kerr invited Federer, who was competing in the Shanghai Masters, to speak with the team. Draymond Green specifically asked Federer how he maintained success for so long. Federer’s response focused on finding happiness in a balanced life.
“I’ll tell you a great story about Roger Federer,” Kerr said. “We were playing in China with the Warriors in 2017. Roger was in Shanghai for the Masters tournament, so we invited him to come speak to the team.” Kerr recalled Federer’s unexpected perspective on sustained excellence: “It's not outworking everybody and banging your head against the wall, 'I'm going to be better than everybody.' It's allowing your natural talent to shine through with a work ethic, with a great family life, with perspective, with peace, with mindfulness.”
The Warriors had already won two championships in three seasons at the time of Federer’s visit. They went on to sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals to secure their second consecutive championship. Kerr recently discussed the upcoming season with NBC Sports Bay Area, emphasizing the importance of focusing on daily processes rather than predictions. “You get into the danger zone when you start trying to predict stuff,” Kerr said. “For me, this is all about the process and what we're doing day in and day out. This is a season where we've got to get back to our values, our basics, supporting each other, bringing great attention to detail day in and day out.”
The new contract extension will keep Kerr with the Golden State Warriors through his 13th season, making him the NBA’s highest-paid head coach.
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