Arizona basketball legend Steve Kerr expected out as USA National Team head coach

Initially reported by longtime NBA writer Mark Stein, Arizona basketball legend Steve Kerr is "not expected to continue" as head coach of the USA National Team. Kerr was an assistant on the 2021 USA Basketball Team that won the Gold Medal in the 2021 Toyko Olympics and led the team as head coach to the title in the Paris Olympics.

Kerr became the head coach of the USA National Team in December 2021. The USA Men's National Team finished the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines with a 10-3 record. The 2023 FIBA World Cup roster did not have the star power that the 2024 Olympic Team did.

Guards Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton were the only players on the 2023 FIBA World Cup roster and 2024 Paris Olympics roster. Edwards was the fourth in the Olympics on the USA team averaging 12.8 points per game, despite being ninth playing 16.3 minutes per game.

Kerr received a lot of scrutiny for his usage of the USA roster. Kerr used a tight rotation. Only seven players on the USA team played in all six games in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Joel Embiid, Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White all had games without playing time.

Hailburton and Tatum were particularly controversial. Tatum led the Boston Celtics to the best record in the NBA and the Championship during the 2023-24 season. Tatum was sixth averaging 17.7 minutes per game, but did not play in two games during the Olympics. Haliburton played in three of the six games.

Kerr has two years remaining on his contract with the Golden State Warriors. In 10 seasons as the Golden State head coach, Kerr is 519-274 in the regular season and 99-41 in the playoffs with four NBA Championships. Golden State made five consecutive NBA Finals from 2015-2019, before returning in 2022 to win another title.