Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr knows the pains of the NBA season all too well, so he channeled Taylor Swift so as to add some levity during an uneven 2022-23 campaign.
Because the Warriors stumbled to a 44-38 regular season record, Kerr, 60, subtly worked phrases from Swift’s song “All Too Well” into his press conferences — and no person noticed.
Legendary sports journalist Wright Thompson revealed the coach’s secret in a profile published on ESPN.com on Thursday, May 14. The four-time NBA championship coach found ways to include the lyrics into his answers after games, with Thompson, 49, using an example from March 2023 when the Warriors beat the Houston Rockets.
“I walked through the door of the locker room at halftime” were the primary words Kerr uttered when he took the rostrum. The primary line of “All Too Well” begins with “I walked through the door.”
The very best part? The coach’s son, Matthew, edited the many clips together into one video through which it appears Steve is performing all the song. (Thompson didn’t say whether Steve did all the 10-minute version, released in 2021, or the unique off Swift’s 2012 album Red.)
Matthew shared the video with the family’s group chat and, by some means, Swift, 36, saw it.
“She ended up seeing it through a mutual friend,” Steve said.
Taylor Swift ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
“Wait, is that this real?” Swift supposedly asked. “Can I put it on social media?”
Steve, nevertheless, asked Swift’s team to maintain the video private.
The profile comes after Steve decided to return to the Warriors for the 2026-27 season despite mulling retirement. He opened as much as Thompson before last season began about how he’ll know when it’s time to hold it up.
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“How am I gonna feel exactly a 12 months from now?” Steve asked. “Perhaps two years from now? Since the job itself is so addictive. … You wanna trust yourself but additionally be suspicious of your individual motives. You don’t wish to walk away too early but you don’t wish to walk away too late. And you are worried about what your life is gonna feel like.”
He revisited the subject in March, admitting that, “Coaching has unlocked one of the best version of myself.”
“I believe I’m scared that I’ll lose that every day engagement and purpose that not only feeds my soul, but helps me cope with my literal chronic every day pain,” Steve added. “If I knew I could retire and go do the physical stuff that I like, it could be loads easier. But I can’t do plenty of that stuff anymore. So I’m petrified of being at home without the constant engagement and friendships that coaching brings me.”