How Steve Kerr survived grief, injury and doubt to become an NBA icon | Greg Hansen

Kerr granted Thompson access to follow him on Golden State Warriors road trips, as well as be a frequent visitor at Kerr's San Francisco home and in many post-game meetings with Kerr and Warriors assistant coaches such as Kerr's former Arizona teammate Bruce Fraser.

Kerr talked about the night his father, Malcolm Kerr, president of American University of Beirut, Lebanon, was assassinated in 1984, Kerr's freshman season at Arizona. Kerr said he walked from his campus apartment at 2 in the morning and sat alone on the curb of Speedway and Campbell Avenue, full of grief.

My enduring memory happened in July 1986 in Kerr's hotel room in Malaga, Spain, about two hours after he tore his ACL in a World Championship semifinal game against Brazil. Kerr later told me to come to his room for an interview after he had time to shower and gather himself. I knocked on the door about 1 a.m.

He opened the door while he was on the phone talking to his mother, Ann, living in Los Angeles. "The team trainer told me this is probably a career-ending injury," Kerr said, his voice breaking. "I'm probably done with basketball."

Not quite.

In 1988, he led Arizona to the nation's No. 1 ranking and Final Four. He went on to play on five NBA championship teams with Chicago and San Antonio, and, later, coach the Warrior to four NBA titles.

Much like Kerr's life story, Thompson's ESPN piece has a happy ending.