Steve Kerr Takes Leave of Absence from the Warriors

As he recovers from a pair of back surgeries this summer, Steve Kerr is taking a leave absence, it was announced Thursday by the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

Kerr, 50, went under the knife in late July to repair a ruptured disc then had a follow-up surgery in early September.

The Dubs haven’t provided a timetable for the head coach’s return to the sidelines.

From the press release:

“At this point, the most important thing is to make sure Steve is healthy, completely recovered and ready for not only the rigors of a long NBA season, but day-to-day life in general,” said Warriors General Manager Bob Myers. “We don’t anticipate the recovery process will be long term, but as of today we don’t know the exact timeframe. We’ll evaluate his progress daily and provide updates as necessary.”

 

“After the first two days of training camp, I realized I need to take a step back and focus on my rehabilitation in order to be ready for the grind of another NBA season,” said Kerr. “As I noted last week, my summer was difficult and no fun due to the multiple back surgeries. At this point, I simply want to get healthy and back to my normal daily routine on and off the court.”

 

Luke Walton, the team’s lead assistant coach, will serve as interim head coach in Kerr’s absence.