The 2024 Paris Olympics marked many milestones for the US 5×5 men’s basketball team. They won their fifth consecutive gold medal, extending their dominance of the Olympics since 2008.
Besides the brilliance of stars like Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the success of the US team also comes thanks to head coach Steve Kerr.
Taking on the responsibility of leading the US team at the end of 2021, Steve Kerr had a bad “start” with a blank record at the FIBA World Cup 2023.
But everything was forgotten when the American basketball team stepped onto the highest podium at the 2024 Paris Olympics. They defeated a series of formidable opponents such as Serbia and host France to win the gold medal.
The celebration didn’t last long, the US team received the first bad news after the Olympics. Coach Steve Kerr will most likely not be with the US team as captain anymore.
The 1965-born coach’s contract will expire after the Olympics and he will not renew it. Instead, a new captain will be chosen for a four-year cycle, leading up to the 2028 Olympics in the United States.
Several names have been considered, most notably Erik Spoelstra. He was an assistant to Steve Kerr with the US team at the recent Olympics and is the head coach of the Miami Heat in the NBA.
Another prominent candidate is Dan Hurley, a legendary coach at the NCAA level and currently coaching at the University of Connecticut – UConn.
Steve Kerr was appointed as the US national team coach in December 2021, succeeding veteran coach Gregg Popovich after the Tokyo Olympic gold medal campaign.
Under coach Steve Kerr, the US team only finished 4th in its first official tournament, the 2023 FIBA World Cup. It was the first time the US lost 3 games in a major tournament, a poor performance that contributed to the creation of a “revenge squad” at this Paris Olympics.
