Steve Kerr tops late Hall of Famer Al Attles for most coaching wins in Warriors history

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a special locker-room ceremony, Wilhelmina Attles, the wife of late Hall of Famer Al Attles, presented Steve Kerr the game ball after he passed her husband to become the all-time winningest Warriors coach.

Kerr earned his 558th regular-season victory on Saturday night as Golden State beat the New York Knicks 97-94.

“It was a great moment being awarded the game ball by the Attles family, it was really beautiful to sort of be honored by their presence,” Kerr said. “Obviously Al Attles is Mr. Warrior forever and the record is kind of surreal to even think that this could happen. But as I said earlier it's a reflection of our organizational strength and stability and the talent level over the last 11 years since I've been here, so I'm incredibly lucky to be part of this organization and part of this city. Very humbled by the honor because of Al's greatness and what he means to the franchise.”

The 59-year-old Kerr has provided a stable presence on the bench and led the Warriors to their first championship in 40 years during his first season of 2014-15. He has long leaned on his deep coaching staff, too.

To begin the 2015-16 season, top assistant Luke Walton guided Golden State to a 24-0 start and 39-4 mark overall before Kerr returned following an extended absence as he dealt with debilitating complications from back surgery.

Those victories still count for Kerr's total. He is now 558-302 — reaching the mark in his 860th game while it took Attles 1,075.

Attles died in August at age 87. He coached the 1975 NBA champion Warriors and spent more than six decades with the organization as a player, coach, general manager and team ambassador.

Kerr once even paid paid tribute to Attles by dressing up in a 1970s-style suit and appreciated all Attles meant to the franchise for six decades. Including his signature style — “he looked way better in the leisure suit than I do,” Kerr said.

“Growing up in L.A. in high school as a Laker fan and hearing Chick Hearn talk about Al Attles on the sidelines, watching him on TV, watching their championship in ‘75, he was an iconic NBA figure," he said. "I didn’t even think I could ever coach in the NBA, so when you sort of put it all together and end up here, passing this icon, it makes no sense. I'm very blessed to live the life that I do and to have been on this path.”

Draymond Green credits Kerr for changing the Warriors' culture and building a family-first feel that transfers onto the court.

“He changed everything,” Green said. “He has been as important as anybody in what this organization's become. The things that he's taught me about winning, not just me, but I tried to pick up on little, small things. There's one thing that he's taught me about winning, especially when it comes to playoff time, that I won't share until I'm done playing because I refuse to give his secret away, but it's a pretty incredible one.”

A former NBA guard who played alongside Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, Kerr served as general manager of the Phoenix Suns from 2007 to 2010 and worked in TV as a color commentator before becoming Warriors coach.

He has regularly referred to his great fortune to have the chance to work with Stephen Curry, Green and Klay Thompson — a trio that captured four NBA championships. Thompson departed last offseason to join the Dallas Mavericks.

Kerr also has used his platform to speak out on social issues such as gun violence and racial injustice.

“He's brought the best out of us,” Curry said. “We joke all the time both of us could have been in New York. Fate would have it that we were here.”

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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gestures during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on after an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on after an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, center, speaks with forward Draymond Green (23) and guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks in San Francisco, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr waves after an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr calls out to his team during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets Thursday, March 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gestures toward players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons in San Francisco, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr stands during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks Saturday, March 15, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)

U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The announcement was made Friday by the U.S. military. The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

The pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.

Navy officials couldn’t immediately provide details about whether the Coast Guard was part of the force that took control of the vessel as has been the case in the previous seizures. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure.

The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.

The latest:

Richard Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, says a documentary film about first lady Melania Trump will make its premiere later this month, posting a trailer on X.

As the Trumps prepared to return to the White House last year, Amazon Prime Video announced a year ago that it had obtained exclusive licensing rights for a streaming and theatrical release directed by Brett Ratner.

Melania Trump also released a self-titled memoir in late 2024.

Some artists have canceled scheduled Kennedy Center performances after a newly installed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s to the facility, prompting Grenell to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has asked her foreign affairs secretary to reach out directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Trump regarding comments by the American leader that the U.S. cold begin ground attacks against drug cartels.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired Thursday night, Trump said, “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”

As she has on previous occasions, Sheinbaum downplayed the remarks, saying “it is part of his way of communicating.” She said she asked her Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to strengthen coordination with the U.S.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offer to send U.S. troops after Mexican drug cartels. She emphasizes that there will be no violation of Mexico’s sovereignty, but the two governments will continue to collaborate closely.

Analysts do not see a U.S. incursion in Mexico as a real possibility, in part because Sheinbaum’s administration has been doing nearly everything Trump has asked and Mexico is a critical trade partner.

Trump says he wants to secure $100 billion to remake Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, a lofty goal going into a 2:30 meeting on Friday with executives from leading oil companies. His plan rides on oil producers being comfortable in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

The president has said that the U.S. will control distribution worldwide of Venezuela’s oil and will share some of the proceeds with the country’s population from accounts that it controls.

“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is banking on the idea that he can tap more of Venezuela’s petroleum reserves to keep oil prices and gasoline costs low.

At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday.

He hopes to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s oil industry. The goal rides on the executives’ comfort with investing in a country facing instability and inflation.

Since a U.S. military raid captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has said there’s a new opportunity to use the country’s oil to keep gasoline prices low.

The full list of executives invited to the meeting has not been disclosed, but Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend.

Attorneys general in five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration after it said it would freeze money for several public benefit programs.

The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud in the programs designed to help low-income families and their children. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York states filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The lawsuit asks the courts to order the administration to release the funds. The attorneys general have called the funding freeze an unconstitutional abuse of power.

Iran’s judiciary chief has vowed decisive punishment for protesters, signaling a coming crackdown against demonstrations.

Iranian state television reported the comments from Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on Friday. They came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Trump’s support for the protesters, calling Trump’s hands “stained with the blood of Iranians.”

The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as “terrorists.”

The protests began over Iran’s struggling economy and have become a significant challenge to the government. Violence has killed at least 50 people, and more than 2,270 have been detained.

Trump questions why a president’s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters “want, maybe a check or something”

Trump suggested voters want to check a president’s power and that’s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he’s facing this year.

“There’s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don’t know what it is, exactly,” he said.

He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having “a great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it’s never been a win.”

Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.

December’s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November’s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.

The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.

FILE - President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)