Having Lost His Father to Terrorism, Steve Kerr Recalls “Terrible Memories” From the 3 AM Phone Call at the ‘King Charles’ Premiere

On Jan 18, 1984, Malcolm Kerr was assassinated inside the American University of Beirut (AUB) premises by the Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO), a Shiite militia backed by Iran. Working in his capacity as the President of the AUB, his death was IJO’s reaction to the US military presence in Lebanon in the wake of a civil war. A call was made to Agence France-Presse to claim their doing—“not a single American or Frenchman will remain on this soil.”

Beyond ranks and power positions, Malcolm was a father to the then-18-year-old Steve Kerr. It has been 36 years but who can say that these wounds have healed? Steve recently revisited the dreadful call from Beirut he received at 3 am that delivered the tragic news.

The call that changed Steve Kerr, forever

Steve admits that he gets jolted even today, thinking about that night. And just like that, he shifts his thoughts back to that unfortunate time on the CNN show King Charles co-hosted by Charles Barkley and Gayle King. On the first episode of the show, King mentioned the ongoing Israel-Palestine war that was bound to jog his memory about losing his father. Steve said,

“I got a phone call in the middle of the night from one of his colleagues from the American University. At about 3 AM, I just remember, basically, hysterically crying and not knowing what to do. And it was just something you don’t wish on anybody.”

Looking back at the dreaded night, he mentioned in the past how basketball became the one thing that brought him peace to some extent. In fact after the 3 am call, he headed for his routine practice session.

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On the day of the tragic incident, as Dr. Malcolm Kerr stepped into a hallway leading to his office, two armed men appeared, as if from nowhere, and opened fire on 52-year-old Kerr. He was shot twice in the back of the head and died instantly. The killers fled and were never identified.

Hours after knowing that his father was assassinated, Steve sat on his bed in his dorm room at the University of Arizona. Silence entrapped the young Steve. After some time, as his friends say, he went aimlessly running into the streets.

Moving on, empathizing with the victims in Israel as well as in the Gaza Strip, the Golden State Warriors head coach stated in a recent interview “I’m just so devastated for all the families involved. Those poor Israeli families whose family members were slaughtered. Those poor Palestinian families who are losing family and friends every day with the demolition of Gaza. It’s just devastating for everybody, for humanity.”

To this day, Steve cannot bear the thought of violence, terrorism, and the million innocent lives it engulfs with it. Further ruminating on the landscape of gun violence, the Bulls veteran addressed how he takes an active part in gun safety campaigns. After all, the idea is to spark federal legislation to curb the loss of innocent lives.

Steve Kerr advocates gun safety

Though Steve’s father’s death was not related to gun violence, it influenced his perspectives on violence and the need for societal changes. The head coach of the Golden State Warriors has used his platform in the NBA to address issues related to gun violence and advocate for stricter gun control measures.

He has spoken out after high-profile incidents of mass shootings in the United States, expressing his frustration with the prevalence of gun violence in the country. Kerr has called for common-sense gun laws and has been critical of the political climate that often hinders progress on this front.

He said, “But for me, it also gave me a perspective on life. Every time I hear someone dying from gun violence, I think about my own experience and the shock and the pain that goes with it.” He further added, “And it’s one of the reasons why I’ve really taken on the gun violence prevention issue as a pet project. Something that I really devote a lot of time to.”

Steve encourages people to support organizations such as Brady, named after former White House press secretary James Brady, who was permanently disabled in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. He regularly gives his time and name to help Brady and similar groups, including March for Our Lives and Giffords, with fundraising.

Even after years of that incident, Steve Kerr still gets flashbacks of that call he received in the middle of the night. However, Kerr believes “gun-safety” campaigns are the way forward, and acting on it to curb violence is the first step.

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