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Report: Kerr expected to be introduced next week
ESPN.com news services
Updated: June 1, 2007, 10:40 AM ET
PHOENIX -- Steve Kerr will be hired as president and general manager of the Phoenix Suns, a person with knowledge of the hiring said Thursday.
Kerr can't officially take the job until he completes his obligations as an analyst for TNT during the NBA playoffs. He is expected to be introduced at a news conference next week, said a person close to the situation who asked not to be identified because the official announcement had not been made.
Kerr is a close friend of Suns owner Robert Sarver and owns a small piece of the team. He would replace Mike D'Antoni, who holds the titles of general manager and head coach. The move will allow D'Antoni to concentrate on coaching.
D'Antoni will keep the title of executive vice president of basketball operations but will report to Kerr, The Arizona Republic reported on its Web site Thursday.
Kerr was part of the TNT crew at Thursday's Eastern Conference finals Game 5 in Detroit. He left the court at halftime with a cell phone in his ear.
"I've had conversations with the Phoenix Suns regarding opportunities within their organization," Kerr said through TNT. "I do not plan to make a decision on my future until after the conclusion of the Eastern Conference finals."
Sarver did not return a message left on his cell phone.
D'Antoni has held both titles since Bryan Colangelo resigned as president and general manager in February 2006 to take a similar post with the Toronto Raptors.
Kerr, part of five NBA championship teams with Chicago and San Antonio in his 15-year NBA career, helped pave the way for Sarver and his backers to purchase the team from Jerry Colangelo for a reported $401 million three years ago. The final payment of the purchase is due in June.
Kerr starred at the University of Arizona and is a close friend of Wildcats coach Lute Olson.
He returns to the NBA team that drafted him in the second round, the 50th choice overall, in 1988. Kerr played in 26 games for Phoenix as a rookie and then was traded to Cleveland for a second-round draft pick.
Kerr, who retired as a player in 2003, holds the NBA record for career 3-point percentage at .454. He also holds the record for 3-point shooting percentage in a season at .524 in the 1994-95 with Chicago. He made the winning shot for the Bulls against Utah in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals.
Kerr, 41, was born in Beirut, Lebanon. His father, president of American University in Beirut, was assassinated in 1984.
Kerr's hiring was first reported on the Web sites of The Arizona Republic and East Valley Tribune.
David Griffin, the Suns' vice president of basketball operations, has spoken with the Memphis Grizzlies about taking the general manager job there. Marc Iavaroni left his job as D'Antoni's lead assistant this week to become head coach of the Grizzlies.
D'Antoni has said the Suns need to add depth after they lost to the Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference semifinals. Phoenix has won three consecutive Pacific Division titles but has not made it past the conference finals in that span.
ESPN.com news services
Updated: June 1, 2007, 10:40 AM ET
PHOENIX -- Steve Kerr will be hired as president and general manager of the Phoenix Suns, a person with knowledge of the hiring said Thursday.
Kerr can't officially take the job until he completes his obligations as an analyst for TNT during the NBA playoffs. He is expected to be introduced at a news conference next week, said a person close to the situation who asked not to be identified because the official announcement had not been made.
Kerr is a close friend of Suns owner Robert Sarver and owns a small piece of the team. He would replace Mike D'Antoni, who holds the titles of general manager and head coach. The move will allow D'Antoni to concentrate on coaching.
D'Antoni will keep the title of executive vice president of basketball operations but will report to Kerr, The Arizona Republic reported on its Web site Thursday.
Kerr was part of the TNT crew at Thursday's Eastern Conference finals Game 5 in Detroit. He left the court at halftime with a cell phone in his ear.
"I've had conversations with the Phoenix Suns regarding opportunities within their organization," Kerr said through TNT. "I do not plan to make a decision on my future until after the conclusion of the Eastern Conference finals."
Sarver did not return a message left on his cell phone.
D'Antoni has held both titles since Bryan Colangelo resigned as president and general manager in February 2006 to take a similar post with the Toronto Raptors.
Kerr, part of five NBA championship teams with Chicago and San Antonio in his 15-year NBA career, helped pave the way for Sarver and his backers to purchase the team from Jerry Colangelo for a reported $401 million three years ago. The final payment of the purchase is due in June.
Kerr starred at the University of Arizona and is a close friend of Wildcats coach Lute Olson.
He returns to the NBA team that drafted him in the second round, the 50th choice overall, in 1988. Kerr played in 26 games for Phoenix as a rookie and then was traded to Cleveland for a second-round draft pick.
Kerr, who retired as a player in 2003, holds the NBA record for career 3-point percentage at .454. He also holds the record for 3-point shooting percentage in a season at .524 in the 1994-95 with Chicago. He made the winning shot for the Bulls against Utah in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals.
Kerr, 41, was born in Beirut, Lebanon. His father, president of American University in Beirut, was assassinated in 1984.
Kerr's hiring was first reported on the Web sites of The Arizona Republic and East Valley Tribune.
David Griffin, the Suns' vice president of basketball operations, has spoken with the Memphis Grizzlies about taking the general manager job there. Marc Iavaroni left his job as D'Antoni's lead assistant this week to become head coach of the Grizzlies.
D'Antoni has said the Suns need to add depth after they lost to the Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference semifinals. Phoenix has won three consecutive Pacific Division titles but has not made it past the conference finals in that span.
