Steve Kerr out for Game 4 vs. Memphis after testing positive for COVID-19
When the Golden State Warriors take on the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night in the NBA Playoffs, they’ll be without their head coach.
Steve Kerr will miss Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals after testing positive for COVID-19, the team announced Monday night. Assistant coach Mike Brown — who was recently announced as the new Sacramento Kings head coach following Golden State’s playoff run — will take over in the interim.
It’s not the first time Brown will step in for Kerr. He’s done so 11 other times, totaling a perfect 11-0 record as the acting head coach while Kerr recovered from back surgery. He’ll be back in the head chair again Monday, and it could be some good practice before he replaces Luke Walton as the Kings’ head coach.
Golden State has an opportunity to go up 3-1 in the series, especially considering Grizzlies star Ja Morant is likely out with a knee injury.
Kerr is in his eighth season as the Warriors head coach and has helped lead them to three NBA titles in 2015, 2017 and 2018. He has a 429-200 record over that time and has Golden State in position to potentially make another playoff run. Game 4 between the Warriors and Grizzlies is set to tip off Monday at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.
NBA names Coach of the Year, MVP for 2021-22
Earlier Monday, the NBA reportedly named its MVP and Coach of the Year for 2021-22.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won the prestigious award for the second consecutive season. Jokic is in his seventh NBA season, all of which have been spent with the Nuggets. In the regular season, he played in 74 games and averaged 33.5 minutes per game.
The NBA is also preparing to name Williams the 2021-22 Coach of the Year, according to The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania. Williams is in his third year with the Suns and helped lead them to the NBA Finals last year, where they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks.
He played at Notre Dame from 1989-94 and became an honorable mention All-American as a senior, averaging 22.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game that year. The New York Knicks drafted him as the No. 24 overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and he played in the league for nine years with the Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers.
On3’s Jonathan Wagner contributed to this report.