Steve Kerr had one of his more outstanding moments in the NBA as a player when he drained the go-ahead basket in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals, securing the Chicago Bulls' second straight championship.
The setting was the United Center in Chicago, and the Bulls were ahead, 3-2, in the championship series against the Utah Jazz .
With the clock winding down under 10 seconds and the game knotted at 86 apiece, Michael Jordan drove the left side of the court and found himself crowded by Bryon Russell and John Stockton. After a pump fake and step-through, Jordan passed to a wide-open Kerr, who then hit a 17-footer to give the Bulls the lead, 88-86, with 5 seconds to go on the clock.
Utah sued for time after, but their play off the inbounds was foiled by Scottie Pippen , who intercepted the ball midcourt and passed the rock to a streaking Toni Kukoc for a slam and sealed the title win, 90-86.
Making the shot by Kerr a classic in NBA history was that he and Jordan were caught on camera plotting the play during a timeout. Recalling previous plays in which the Jazz were playing Jordan on defense, MJ schemed with Kerr how he intended to execute in the clutch, telling the sharpshooter to be ready to receive the pass and shoot.
Twenty years after his famous shot in the 1997 NBA Finals, Kerr had the opportunity to look back on it in 2018 on ESPN's "The Jump."
In the program's "What Were You Thinking…" segment, the now-Golden State Warriors coach had a hilarious reaction to his classic play with Jordan, focusing on the buzz cut he was sporting during the Finals.
"Well, my first question is, what was I thinking with that haircut? I mean, the biggest moment of my career and I had the worst haircut. I look like a Marine," a laughing Kerr shared .
He went on to detail what went down with the play, conferring with former teammate Pippen, who was also present during his appearance on the ESPN show.
"I remember what I was thinking was earlier in this series, John Stockton stole the ball from MJ like at the end of Game 3 or Game 4 in Salt Lake, and he came over and helped on Michael … So [in Game 6] Michael said, 'Hey, he's gonna come double-team so be ready.' And after my heart stopped, you know, that one felt good," he recalled.
During the victory parade to celebrate their conquest of the 1997 NBA title, Kerr took the opportunity to give his shot a funny twist at the expense of Jordan.
Speaking on the podium in front of the large crowd of Bulls fans gathered at Grant Park in Chicago, Kerr gave a humorous version of what happened in Game 6.
"When we called a timeout, with 25 seconds to go, we went into the huddle, and [coach] Phil [Jackson] told Michael, 'Hey Michael, I want you to take the last shot. And Michael said, 'Hey Phil, I don't really feel comfortable in these situations. So, why not go to Steve? So I thought to myself, well, I guess I have to bail Michael out again..." said Kerr, drawing laughter from Jordan, Jackson and the rest of the crowd.
Despite having one of the iconic clutch baskets in NBA history, Kerr is seemingly not too caught up with it, making him one of those players hard not to root for.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
