Steve Kerr: A Life

"Thrilling." --Publishers Weekly (starred) "Riveting." --Library Journal (starred) "A fascinating look at a fascinating life." --Roland Lazenby, author of Michael Jordan

The definitive biography of Steve Kerr, the championship-winning basketball player and head coach of the record-breaking Golden State Warriors

Few individuals have had a career as storied, and improbable, as Steve Kerr. He has won eight NBA titles--five as a player and three as a coach--for three different franchises. He played alongside the best players of a generation, from Michael Jordan to Shaquille O'Neal to Tim Duncan, and learned the craft of basketball under four legendary coaches. He was an integral part of two famed NBA dynasties. Perhaps no other figure in basketball history has had a hand in such greatness.

In Steve Kerr, award-winning sports journalist Scott Howard-Cooper uncovers the fascinating life story of a basketball legend. Kerr did not follow a traditional path to the NBA. He was born in Beirut to two academics and split his childhood between California and the Middle East. Though he was an impressive shooter, the undersized Kerr garnered almost no attention from major college programs, managing only at the last moment to snag the final scholarship at the University of Arizona. Then, during his freshman season at Arizona, tragedy struck. His father, Malcolm, then the president of the American University of Beirut, was assassinated in Lebanon by terrorists. Forged by the crucible of this family saga, Steve went on to chart an unparalleled life in basketball, on the court and on the sidelines.

The only coach other than Red Auerbach to lead a team to the Finals five consecutive seasons, Kerr seems destined for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Steve Kerr is his incredible story, offering insights into the man and what it takes to be--and make--a champion. Drawing upon Scott Howard-Cooper's years covering Warriors, deep archival research, and original interviews with more than one hundred of the central characters in Kerr's life, this is basketball biography at its finest.

Scott Howard-Cooper has covered professional and college sports since the 1980s for some of the most prominent outlets in the country, including the Los Angeles Times, ESPN.com, NBA.com and NBA TV, SportsIllustrated.com and the Sacramento Bee, among others. His work has earned multiple national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Professional Basketball Writers Assn. for projects, game coverage, features and columns. He graduated from USC with a degree in Political Science and lives in Northern California.