By Gabe Fernandez, Sports Reporter April 24, 2026 (SFGate.com)
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Phoenix.Rick Scuteri/AP
Whenever Steve Kerr publicly expresses a political opinion, he opens himself up to criticism from online comments sections, the Oval Office and even the Warriors’ front office.
According to multiple reports, some people at the top of Golden State — perhaps one person, but more on that later — have not been too happy with his political commentary. Kerr has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, openly supported the “Black Lives Matter” movement and has been a staunch advocate for gun control (which is deeply personal to the head coach, given his family history). This information comes amid uncertainty about whether Kerr will return to coach the Dubs next season.
The first mention of this came from ESPN’s Marc Spears, who appeared on 95.7 The Game on Tuesday and touched on this when asked why Kerr would consider leaving the Warriors. After noting that Kerr understands “the weight of the job” in the way he speaks out about political and social issues, Spears said, “And I’ve heard a little bit that maybe he’s being stifled a little bit in that regard.”
When host Mark Willard asked him who “stifled” the coach, Spears said he wanted to “dig deeper” on that topic to confirm it. But when Willard again pushed on Spears to say who, the veteran sports reporter just looked at the camera and smiled without saying anything. To really drive home the point, Dan Dibley filled in the blank and said, “Right. Like maybe somebody who, I don’t know, signs his checks, if they still do that, or is in charge of his direct deposit.”
While Spears did not directly confirm the person in question was owner Joe Lacob, as Dibley heavily implied, he continued on this topic. Using Kyle Korver’s “Black Lives Matter” jersey in the Orlando COVID-19 bubble as an example, Spears spoke highly of Kerr as an example of a white man using his voice to amplify the struggles of people of color. But not everyone is as supportive of what he’s done.
“I have heard that maybe, maybe there’s some people that are tired of his voice,” Spears said. “If that is true, then maybe that’s something that could add to Steve’s fatigue as well, because he’s a great man. He’s not just a great white man, he’s a great man, he’s a great human, and he cares about other people. So I don’t think he would compromise that.
“So if that is true, that people want him to be a little bit more quiet, I’m sure that might not sit too well with him.”
Then, on Thursday, Nick Friedell of the Athletic published a report that also noted this internal storyline, which has apparently been talked about over the past year.
“League and team sources said throughout the season that Kerr’s desire to speak candidly on social and political issues has at times caused internal frustration,” Friedell wrote in a story headlined, “Steve Kerr can leave the Warriors, but can he leave Steph Curry?”
Whether that “internal frustration” leads to a split between Kerr and the organization he’s been with for 12 seasons will have to wait until next week, at the very least. An anonymous source told ESPN’s Anthony Slater, “It’s April. We don’t need to rush.”
More Warriors
— Moses Moody’s gruesome injury deeply disturbed the Warriors
— Warriors’ Kristaps Porzingis has POTS. An SF doctor explains what that means.
— ‘He can out-act Shaq’: Steph Curry sets up a potential future in Hollywood
— The ‘Light-Years’ Warriors are over. Welcome to Joe Lacob’s nightmare.
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April 24, 2026
Sports Reporter
Gabe Fernandez is an award-winning sports reporter at SFGATE and has been yelling about sports online since he first had an internet connection. A Maryland native, Gabe graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s covered sports — focusing on football, basketball and sports history — for Sporting News, Deadspin and CBS Sports. You can reach him at gabe.fernandez@sfgate.com.
