By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Gregg Popovich is stepping down as the Team USA head coach and Steve Kerr has emerged as the frontrunner to take over his responsibilities at the senior national team, reports Marc Stein.
Kerr, 56, is coming off serving as an assistant to Popovich in recent major international tournaments, specifically the 2019 FIBA World Cup and the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo during the summer. He recently admitted to being interested in coaching Team USA in the 2024 Olympic Games. The defending champions heading to the Paris Games in three years will be aiming for the fifth Olympic gold medal in a row.
The Golden State Warriors boss has, winner of five NBA championships as a player and three more as a head coach carries plenty of experience working with major NBA stars.
Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra is another candidate to replace Popovich, the report adds. He was involved in the coaching preparations for the Olympics but was not part of the staff traveling to Tokyo.
Naming a new senior team head coach will be the first major move for Grant Hill after succeeding Jerry Colangelo as the managing director of USA Basketball. He recently set a timeline to confirm the next national team selector before the start of the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season on October 19.
Popovich, 71, took over from the previous head coach Mike Krzyzewski after the 2016 Olympic Games. Under his guidance, Team USA, in a spectacular turnaround, went from its worst-ever performance of seventh place in the 2019 World Cup to capturing gold in the Tokyo Olympics.