Steve Kerr has proven to be a worthy head coach for the United States men's senior national team, leading the squad to a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Kerr's time in the top seat has been and is expected to be short. After succeeding his mentor Gregg Popovich in 2021, the 58-year-old's time leading Team USA is likely ending soon.
The 2024 Olympics are believed to be Kerr's last time leading Team USA, according to multiple reports. In 2023, Kerr himself hinted that he would be done following the Olympics, telling The Athletic, "To me, it's a two-year. It's a cycle."
"Pop coached a World Cup and the Olympics, now it's my turn to pass the baton. I think that's kind of how it should be. ... I think where we are now, one cycle and you move on."
After leading Team USA to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and gold at the 2024 Olympics, Kerr appears poised to pass the baton. Who is next in line to lead the U.S. men's program? Here are a few options.
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Steve Kerr Team USA head coach replacements
1. Erik Spoelstra, Heat
Spoelstra has been listed as a favorite to succeed Kerr and it makes plenty of sense why. In addition to his role as an assistant coach for Team USA, Spoelstra is one of the game's greatest coaches.
A two-time champion head coach, Spoelstra has led the Heat to six NBA Finals appearances in his career. Spoelstra is one of the NBA's best tacticians and has won with talent-laden rosters as well as rosters complete with lesser-known players.
Smart as Spoelstra is, he feels like the perfect candidate to perfect rotations for rosters as talented as the teams the U.S. will send to Qatar for the World Cup and Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics.
2. Tyronn Lue, Clippers
Like Spoelstra, Lue has been an assistant coach for Team USA and has an innate understanding of the program's inner workings.
Familiarity gives Lue a leg up but he is also a top coach in the NBA, evidenced by his work leading the Cavaliers and, more recently, the Clippers. LeBron James is among the many who have sung Lue's praises as a coach and motivator.
If Team USA wants to get one more Olympic appearance out of James, they wouldn't go wrong with tabbing one of his former head coaches.
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3. Joe Mazzulla, Celtics
Winning a championship in 2024 solidified the fact that there is a method to Mazzulla's madness. The Celtics won big and made it look easy thanks in large part to Mazzulla's system, which put everyone in the best position to succeed.
Is there a better way to smooth over any potential tension between Team USA and Boston's duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum than to tab their head coach? And for those concerned with the fact that the rest of the world has caught up to USA Basketball, Mazzulla is the type of coach who won't allow his team to get complacent.
When gold is the expectation, that counts for a lot.
4. Mark Few, Gonzaga
Few gets a nod because he, too, has been a member of Kerr's staff as an assistant. Few's name doesn't rise to the level of Mike Krzyzewski's, but Coach K's success in returning Team USA to prominence should dispel any notion that a college coach would be incapable.
If it's a college coach, Few should be the guy.
5. Jamahl Mosley, Magic
It may be a cycle too soon, but Mosley is a head coach to keep on your radar for USA Basketball. In addition to receiving almost unprecedented buy-in from the up-and-coming Magic, Mosley coached the United States select team in 2023 and 2024.
If all goes according to plan, Paolo Banchero will be a no-brainer for Team USA in 2028, and his head coach could go with him. If nothing else, don't be surprised if Mosley is one of the U.S. team's assistant coaches.
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6. Mark Daigneault, Thunder
Maybe Daigneault won't want to go against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort on the international stage, but maybe he does want to coach Chet Holmgren in that setting.
Daigneault is one of the NBA's youngest coaches but he is also one of the most respected. It's hard to have a list of NBA coaches and not include OKC's lead man.