By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-11-14 14:20:48
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
2025年11月12日，星期三，圣安东尼奥，金州勇士队助理教练尼克·科尔在与圣安东尼奥马刺队的NBA比赛开始前进行热身。
对于勇士队助理教练尼克·科尔 (Nick Kerr) 来说，周三从金州队位于丘陵地区边缘的酒店前往霜冻银行中心的这趟NBA球队大巴之旅，是一次愉快的旅程。
“开车穿过这座城市时，我感到非常开心，”他在金州勇士队以125-120战胜马刺队的比赛前说道。
“这里有太多美好的回忆了。”
现年33岁的尼克·科尔童年时曾在圣安东尼奥度过了五年时光，当时他的父亲史蒂夫·科尔 (Steve Kerr) 在上世纪90年代末至本世纪初两度为马刺队效力，并随队赢得了1999年和2003年的NBA总冠军。
“那段日子真的很有趣，这里是一个很棒的成长之地，”尼克说道。
他在阿拉莫城的美好时光并未因其父在2003年总决赛中，马刺队历经六场击败新泽西篮网队后退役而结束。
十四年后，在加州大学担任研究生助理之后，尼克重返圣安东尼奥，在马刺队的录像分析室担任实习生，同时从格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 和他的团队那里汲取了宝贵的经验。
“那是一次A+级别的经历，”尼克说。“这是一个运营极其出色的组织。波波维奇在运筹帷幄，整个教练组也棒极了。”
当时波波维奇的助理教练团队成员包括詹姆斯·博雷戈 (James Borrego)、奇普·恩格尔兰 (Chip Engelland)、贝基·哈蒙 (Becky Hammon)、威尔·哈迪 (Will Hardy)、埃托雷·梅西纳 (Ettore Messina) 和艾米·乌度卡 (Ime Udoka)。
“那是我进入NBA的第一年，当时我并不知道身边这些人究竟是多么才华横溢，”尼克说。“但如今回想起来，每天都能与他们所有人交流，那真是令人难以置信的经历。”
“能够与他们共事，我真的非常、非常幸运。”
尼克曾在圣迭戈大学和加州大学打过大学篮球。在过去两个赛季担任金州勇士队在圣克鲁斯（加州）的G联赛球队主教练后，他的父亲史蒂夫于今年六月将他提拔为助理教练。在执教G联赛之前，尼克曾在勇士队的球员发展部门工作，并担任了三个赛季的录像协调员。
史蒂夫·科尔在周五晚再次率领金州勇士队对阵马刺队，他称自己的儿子在银黑军团的经历是“一次向大师的学徒之旅”。
“你成为了一个见多识广、在他所做的每一件事上都闪耀着智慧光芒的人的学徒，”史蒂夫在谈到波波维奇时说道。波波维奇是NBA历史上胜场数最多的教练，他在五月份因中风六个月后宣布退休。
“对他来说，这是一段极其宝贵的经历，真正帮助他开启了自己的教练生涯，”史蒂夫补充道。他已是执教金州勇士队的第11个赛季，并带领球队四次夺得NBA总冠军，六次闯入总决赛。
尼克表示，他在马刺队学到的最重要的事情之一，就是保持高昂士气的价值。马刺队用来实现这一目标的工具之一是一项名为“邦纳挑战赛”的友好竞赛，该竞赛考验球员连续命中一系列投篮且不能投失的能力。
“球员们很喜欢这个，”尼克在谈到这项以前马刺神射手马特·邦纳 (Matt Bonner) 命名的比赛时说。“这很有趣，也是打破NBA赛季单调乏味、避免日复一日感觉雷同的好方法。这在某种程度上教会了我作为一名教练的职责。这份工作当然是执教篮球，但同时也是让大家保持参与感、让大家士气高昂。”
尼克还了解到，在这支球队里，没有人能躲过波波维奇善意的调侃。在2018年2月于奥克兰对阵勇士队的一场比赛前，波波维奇告诉记者，他怀疑尼克是他父亲的间谍。
“我告诉大家，在我们离开球馆前，一定要拿到尼克·科尔的手机，这样他就不能发信息给史蒂夫·科尔了，”波波维奇说。“我一点都不信任他。我知道他正在给他爸打电话。”
史蒂夫则用自己的玩笑回应道：“他管我儿子叫间谍。他说我儿子可能在为普京工作。”
当被提醒波波维奇的这番调侃时，尼克笑了起来。
“这就是波波，”他说。“他就是这样的人。他会爱你，但也会揶揄你。这是一种很棒的领导方式。”
尽管尼克在马刺实习的经历充满乐趣，但这无法与亲眼见证父亲身披银黑战袍两夺总冠军的激动之情相提并论。
“他会在赛前三小时带我到球馆，那是他的热身时间，”尼克说。“有时我会出来看他投篮，但更多时候我待在家属休息室打电子游戏。但我总会出来看比赛，那感觉太棒了。”
“我很高兴能拥有那些回忆。能够和我的父亲，还有波波维奇一起分享这一切，真是一件非常酷的事情。”
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Nick Kerr, left, talks with Spurs Director of Player Personnel Dave Telep prior to the start of an NBA game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors in San Antonio, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Nick Kerr during warm ups prior to the start of their NBA game with the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Nick Kerr helps forward Gui Santos warm up prior to the start of their NBA game with the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Nick Kerr during warm ups prior to the start of their NBA game with the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Nick Kerr, right, talks with forward Gui Santos prior to the start of their NBA game with the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.
点击查看原文：Warriors' Nick Kerr reflects on 'A-plus' experience with Spurs
Warriors’ Nick Kerr reflects on ‘A-plus’ experience with Spurs
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Nick Kerr during warm ups prior to the start of their NBA game with the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.
As NBA bus rides go, the one from Golden State’s team hotel at the edge of the Hill Country to the Frost Bank Center on Wednesday was a delight for Warriors assistant coach Nick Kerr.
“I was just happy driving through town,” he said before Golden State’s 125-120 win over the Spurs.
“It’s a lot of good memories.”
Kerr, 33, spent five years in San Antonio as a child while his father, Steve, had two stints with the Spurs as a player in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a pair of runs that included NBA titles in 1999 and 2003.
“It was really fun, a great place to grow up,” Nick said.
His good times in the Alamo City didn’t end after his father retired as a player following the Spurs’ six-game victory over the New Jersey Nets in the 2003 Finals.
Fourteen years later, Nick returned to San Antonio after serving as a graduate assistant the University of California to work in the Spurs video room as an intern while absorbing valuable lessons from Gregg Popovich and his staff.
“It was an A-plus experience,” Nick said. “It’s such a well-run organization. Pop was doing his thing and the staff was amazing.”
Popovich’s assistants included James Borrego, Chip Engelland, Becky Hammon, Will Hardy, Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka.
“That was my first year in the NBA and, at the time, I didn’t know how insanely talented all the people around me were,” Nick said. "But to reflect on it now, that was incredible to be able to talk to all of those people every day.
“I was really, really lucky to have gotten to be with them.”
Steve promoted his son, who played college ball at San Diego and Cal, to assistant coach in June after he served as Golden State’s G League coach in Santa Cruz (Calif.) the past two seasons. Prior to his stint in the G League, Nick worked in the player development department for the Warriors and was a video coordinator for three seasons.
Steve, who guided Golden State against the Spurs again on Friday night, called his son’s experience with the Silver & Black “an apprenticeship with the expert.”
“You’re the apprentice for a guy who has seen it all and who is brilliant in everything he does,” Steve said of Popovich, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach who retired in May six months after suffering a stroke.
“It was a hugely valuable experience for him and it really helped him get his coaching career started,” added Steve, who is in his 11th season as Golden State’s coach and has led the franchise to four NBA titles and six appearances in the Finals.
Nick said one of the most important things he learned from his time with the Spurs was the value of keeping morale high. One tool the Spurs used to accomplish that goal was a friendly competition dubbed The Bonner Challenge, which tested players ability to sink a series of shots without missing.
“The players like it,” Nick said of the contest named after former Spurs sharpshooter Matt Bonner. “It’s fun and it’s a good way of breaking up the monotony of the NBA season and how every day can feel the same. It kind of taught me as a coach, that’s the job. The job is coaching basketball, of course, but the job is also keeping people engaged, keeping people’s spirits high.”
Nick also learned nobody in the organization was safe from Popovich’s playful ribbing. Before a game against the Warriors in February 2018 in Oakland, Popovich told reporters he suspected Nick of being a spy for his father.
“I told the guys to make sure before we left the gym to get Nick Kerr’s cell phone so he couldn’t text (information) to Steve Kerr,” Popovich said. “I don’t trust him a lick. I know he’s calling his dad.”
Steve responded with a joke of his own, “He calls my son a spy. He said my son could be working for Putin.”
Nick laughed when reminded of Popovich’s ribbing.
“That’s Pop,” he said. “It’s just who he is. He’s going to love you, but he is also going to needle you. It’s a great way of leading.”
As much fun as Nick had interning with the Spurs, it didn’t match the excitement of seeing his father win two championships in Silver & Black.
“He’d bring me to the arena three hours before for his warm-up time,” Nick said. "Sometimes I’d come out here and watch him shoot, but more often I was in the family room playing video games. But I would always come out for the game, and it was amazing.
“I’m happy I have those memories. It’s a really cool thing to have been able to share with my dad and then also Pop.”
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News