Steve Kerr had a little fun with the political moment Wednesday, and he did it in a blue shirt.
The Warriors coach showed up for his post-practice press conference in San Francisco wearing blue rather than the Valkyries shirt he has been seen in often lately, even with the WNBA championship parade rolling a few blocks away. The timing fit Kerr, who has never been shy about weighing in on politics and current events, and it came a day after Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm election.
After fielding questions about Kristaps Porzingis’ health and contract situation, Kerr looked around the room and wondered if anyone was going to bring up the election. Then he answered his own question with a joke.
“I’m disappointed because I was looking forward to that $5,000 check we were all going to get,” Kerr said. “I thought for sure … I already spent it, in fact.
I was so excited about it and sure about it that I spent it already. Now I’m going to have to figure something out.”
Kerr was referring to President Donald Trump’s claim that his administration would send every American citizen $5,000 if Republicans kept control of both chambers of Congress in the midterms. That did not happen. Democrats flipped at least seven seats to secure a four-seat majority in the Senate and also clinched the House.
The joke landed in the middle of a good stretch for Golden State, which has won five straight. Kerr has been open about his views on a range of issues over the last year, including mass shootings, the ICE crackdown in Minneapolis, No Kings protests and more. The day before the election, he urged people to vote, then later connected with Las Vegas lookalike Steve Gillis, a relationship that began after reporter Pablo Torre introduced the two.
“Steve Gillis and I went to the polls together,” Kerr said.
On the basketball side, Thursday brings a familiar kind of reunion for the Warriors. Miami comes to town with Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins in uniform, two former Warriors who were central figures in championship runs.
Thompson, one half of the Splash Bros., helped Golden State win four titles during 11 seasons in the Bay Area. Wiggins was part of the 2022 championship team.
Both are now with the Heat, which has rebuilt around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Thompson spent two seasons in Dallas before landing in Miami, while Wiggins was included in the trade package that brought Jimmy Butler to the Warriors in 2025.
“It’ll always be a little strange seeing those guys wearing different uniforms, but it’s getting a little less strange,” Kerr said. “Those first couple times are really bizarre, and then you get used to it. It’s a reminder that most of us in the NBA end up with multiple teams.”
Kerr also said Gui Santos did not practice because of a sore left knee. Reserve guard Brandon Williams was a full participant after missing Monday’s win over the Suns with a quad injury and is expected to be available.
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