Steve Kerr reaffirms desire for 72-game NBA season after Stephen A. Smith criticizes stance: ‘I’m not an idiot’
Steve Kerr is going to speak his mind. That’s what he did throughout his 12 seasons as head coach of the Golden State Warriors. Negative reactions do not deter him.
He said Tuesday, before the Warriors’ 130-124 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls — their fifth loss in the last six games — that he wasn’t even aware of Stephen A. Smith’s response to his push once again for a shortened NBA season that he said would lead to a more competitive and healthier league.
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Although Smith prefaced his opinion by admitting that Kerr often makes profound statements that deserve everyone’s attention, the ESPN pundit went on to criticize the nine-time NBA champion’s desire to trim 10 from the league’s 82-game schedule.
“The minimum salary in the NBA is over 1.2 million. The median salary in the NBA is over seven million. The maximum salary in the NBA averages $54 million. We’re talking about people signing $250 million, $350 million contracts. And now you’re coming to us about how there should be 10 fewer games?” Smith said on Tuesday’s episode of “First Take.”
“What do you want next? Do you want us to put a diaper and a bib on these guys?”
Smith added: “I tell you, you don’t hear players who make a million dollars, or even $5 million, saying there should be fewer games. You know why? Because they want to position themselves to make that paper. It’s only when you get to that point that you say things like that. Steve Kerr didn’t say that when he was playing. …The NBA just signed a $77 billion, 11-year contract. How Do you get that if you don’t play these games?”
This all came up because Kerr was asked Monday, before the Warriors’ 119-116 loss to the Utah Jazz, what he would address if he were NBA commissioner.
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“That was my answer,” Kerr said Tuesday. “And the reason is my No. 1 concern is the quality of the NBA product. And I think limiting the schedule would encompass a lot of issues: player health, player availability, tanking – I think all of that would improve. And I think the quality of play would improve.
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“We don’t train much. If we had those extra days to train and a fresher team, the quality of the product would be better.”
Kerr then got to the part of the discussion targeted by Smith.
“I know it’s a revenue issue,” he said. “I’m not an idiot. Everyone would have to agree: to improve the product, you would actually have to make a little less revenue. It’s not really an American concept anymore, but I think it should be.
“I think quality is going to matter in the long run. And I think for the long term health of the league, we have to think about that. And that means everyone is going to have to consider the ramifications. Of course it’s about money, but you also have to be careful. Having more of something doesn’t automatically mean you’ll make more money if the product isn’t good. I know it’s a controversial topic, but I’m going to continue to speak my mind because I think that It’s important.”
The Warriors have been riddled with injuries this season. They currently have a record of 32-33 and are ninth in the Western Conference standings.
Most notably, they lost six-time All-Star forward Jimmy Butler III to a season-ending torn ACL, and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry missed the final 15 games with a lingering knee injury.
Kerr said in November that he was “very concerned” about the drastic change in pace and frequency of play in the league, leading to more injuries in the NBA.
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At the time, the Warriors were on a six-game road trip, during which Kerr said they didn’t have a single practice due to their crowded roster.
As of Tuesday, NBA teams were averaging 115.2 points per game, the most since the 1969-70 season, according to ESPN, which also reported that players had combined to run 37.1 miles per game during the 2025-26 campaign at an average speed of 4.29 mph.
Those are both highs since player tracking began in 2013-14, according to ESPN.
