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Steve Kerr impersonates Stephen Curry at DNC, urges voters to wish Donald Trump ‘good night’ on Election Day

VaselineAugust 20, 2024

0 3 minutes read

Steve Kerr impersonates Stephen Curry at DNC, urges voters to wish Donald Trump ‘good night’ on Election Day

Steve Kerr, coach of the United States men's basketball team and coach of the Golden State Warriors, speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) — Steve Kerr, coach of the United States men’s basketball team and coach of the Golden State Warriors, speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Steve Kerr led Team USA to gold at the Paris Olympics and has now officially staked his claim to the US presidential election.

The Golden State Warriors and head coach of the U.S. men’s basketball team delivered a speech Monday at the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, urging voters to elect Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump in November.

For most of his roughly seven-minute speech, Kerr confined himself to his pride in coaching Team USA to gold and his reasons for supporting Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

He saved his first reference to Trump for his opening line, when he invoked Team USA and Warriors star Stephen Curry’s signature celebration.

“That’s why I’m here tonight,” Kerr said. “That’s why I’m going out every day to help people vote on November 5th to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as the next president and vice president of the United States.

“And after the results are counted that night, we can — in the words of the great Steph Curry — say to Donald Trump, ‘Good night.’”

“In the words of the great Steph Curry, we can say to Donald Trump… good night!”

Steve Kerr at the Democratic National Convention 🤣photo.twitter.com/HcGs9jv4UQ

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 20, 2024

Kerr will speak on the same night as Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden

Kerr was invited to speak amid a lineup of Democratic heavyweights, including former U.S. Senator, Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), ahead of Monday’s keynote speaker, President Joe Biden. He appeared shortly after a surprise appearance by Harris herself, who was not scheduled to speak until the convention’s final night on Thursday.

Kerr took the stage with a nod to his Chicago roots and the Bulls fans in the building. As he walked to the podium, the United Center’s public address system blared the iconic Bulls home game intro music of the 1990s while a video of one of the greatest shots in Bulls history played on the video screen. Kerr made the game-winning jumper off an assist from Michael Jordan in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals, securing the Jordan Bulls dynasty’s fifth NBA championship.

“It’s so nice to be back here at the United Center,” Kerr said. “As you know, a lot of good things happened in this building — especially in the ’90s. You young people, Google ‘Michael Jordan,’ and you can read all about it.”

He then praised the gold medal wins of his men’s team and the U.S. women’s team at the Paris Olympics as examples of unity in politics and government.

“I can’t think of a better metaphor for what this country is all about than the way Team USA came together at the Olympics,” Kerr said. “We have players from our great country — players who have trained and fought tirelessly — shed tears trying to beat each other throughout their careers — joining forces to wear the red, white and blue.

“And when we won — the American flag raised, the national anthem played, gold medals draped around the necks of our players with their hands over their hearts — it was the proudest moment of my life.”

Why Kerr Decided to Speak at the DNC

Kerr said he was asked to speak at the DNC a few days after the gold medal victory, an invitation “that I never could have imagined.” An outspoken supporter of gun reform and social justice issues, Kerr went on to discuss the risks of speaking about politics from his position as a basketball coach.

“I see the ‘shut up and whistle’ tweets going around as we speak,” Kerr continued. “But I also knew immediately when I was asked that it was too important as an American citizen not to speak up in an election of this magnitude.”

He then advocated the Harris-Walz ticket.

“I believe in a certain kind of leadership,” Kerr said. “I believe leaders have to have dignity. I believe leaders have to tell the truth. I believe leaders have to be able to laugh at themselves.

“I believe that leaders must care for and love the people they lead. I believe that leaders must have the knowledge and expertise, but with the full understanding that none of us has all the answers. And in fact, some of the best answers often come from members of the team. And if you look for those qualities in your friends or your boss or an employee or your child’s teacher or your mayor, then shouldn’t you want those same qualities in your president?”

Kerr concluded his speech with a renewed call for unity among Americans, with “all 330 million of us playing on the same team,” before bidding farewell to Curry.

VaselineAugust 20, 2024

0 3 minutes read