Steve Kerr 'Not Expected' to Return, USA Basketball Eyeing Two Replacement Candidates

Kerr was named head coach of the USA men's basketball team in December of 2021.

Jul 31, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States head coach Steve Kerr in the second quarter against South Sudan during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The next time the USA men's basketball team takes the court, it will more than likely be with a new head coach, as 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning coach Steve Kerr is reportedly "not expected to continue" in the role, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.

USA Basketball, as Stein notes, is eyeing two of Kerr's assistants from the team's gold medal run in Paris, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, as two potential replacement candidates.

Kerr, who served as an assistant coach for the Americans at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was named USA men's basketball head coach in December of 2021, replacing San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich in the role.

Kerr led a USA Basketball team that finished a disappointing fourth in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, though the group did manage to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Kerr, who at times was questioned for his rotational decisions, and the Americans redeemed themselves by winning an Olympic gold medal for the fifth straight time.

The news that Kerr won't be continuing on as USA's head coach isn't particularly surprising, given that he in November of 2023 had said he intended to step down after the Paris Olympics.

In Spoelstra and Lue, who have won a combined three NBA championships, USA Basketball has two experienced and respected head coaches as replacement candidates.

Whether it's Spoelstra, Lue or another coach, whoever is ultimately chosen will be tasked with ushering in a new era of USA Basketball in a landscape where international rivals are seemingly closing the talent gap.