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.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

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)

KOCANI, North Macedonia (AP) — A massive fire tore through an overcrowded nightclub in North Macedonia Sunday, killing 59 people and injuring 155 in a chaotic escape during a live concert. The tragedy drew messages of support from around the world but focused national attention on corruption in the tiny Balkan country as authorities detained 15 people.

The pre-dawn blaze in the eastern town of Kocani left mostly young people dead and injured due to burns, smoke inhalation and a stampede in the desperate effort to reach the building's single exit, officials said. People as young as 16 were among the injured, they said.

Videos showed sparkling pyrotechnics on the stage hitting the ceiling followed by scenes of chaos inside the club, with young people running through the smoke as the musicians urged them to escape as quickly as possible.

“We even tried to get out through the toilet, to find bars (on the windows),” Marija Taseva, 19, told The Associated Press, describing the fire that erupted after watching a local pop group at Club Pulse. "I somehow managed to get out. I fell down the stairs and they ran over me, trampled me. ... I barely stayed alive and could hardly breathe.”

Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said 15 people had been detained for questioning after a preliminary inspection revealed the club was operating without a proper license. He said that the number of people inside the club was at least double its official capacity of 250.

“We have grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption in this case,” he told reporters without elaborating.

Condolences poured in from leaders around Europe as well as from the office of Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for a month for double pneumonia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also sent messages of support. “I wish those who were injured a speedy recovery. Ukraine mourns alongside our (North) Macedonian friends on this sad day,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X.

Health Ministry officials said the government had accepted offers of assistance from several neighboring countries, including Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey, where preparations were being made to receive patients with life-threatening injuries. Paramedics from Serbia and Bulgaria also traveled to North Macedonia to help with the local effort.

Throughout Sunday, relatives gathered in front of hospitals and city offices in Kocani, some 115 kilometers (72 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, begging authorities for more information. Resident Dragi Stojanov was informed that his 21-year-old son Tomce had died in the fire.

“He was my only child. I don’t need my life anymore. ... 150 families have been devastated," he said. “Children burnt beyond recognition. There are corpses, just corpses inside (the club).”

In Skopje, officials said the injured were to hospitals around the country, many being treated for severe burns and smoke inhalation. The effort was being assisted by multiple volunteer organizations.

The fire is the worst tragedy in recent memory to befall the landlocked nation, whose population is less than 2 million, and the latest in a slew of deadly nightclub fires around the world.

President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova visited burn victims at a hospital in Skopje and spoke to parents waiting outside the building.

“It's terrible ... hard to believe how this happened,” she said, her voice halting with emotion. “We must give these young people courage to continue.”

The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris. Police cordoned off the site and sent in evidence gathering teams in an operation also involving state prosecutors.

Pyrotechnics have often been the cause of deadly fires in nightclubs, including the one at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, Romania, in 2015 in which 64 people died.

Associated Press writers from across Europe contributed to this report.

A police officer inspects a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

Police officers hold plastic bags on the site of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Police officers block a road near a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Police officers block a road near a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

CORRECTS CITY TO SKOPJE - People wait in front of the hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, after a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Prosecutors arrive at the scene of a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

A person makes a telephone call in front of the hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, after a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

A firefighter inspects a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

CORRECTS CITY TO SKOPJE - People wait in front of the hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, after a massive fire in a nightclub in the town of Kocani. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Macedonian Interior Minister Pance Toskovski speaks to media after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

A firefighter inspects a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Police officers investigate a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

A firefighter inspects a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

Rescue workers stand in front of a club after massive fire broke out early Sunday in Kocani, North Macedonia, March 16, 2025. (Kocani TV via AP)

Rescue workers stand in front of a club after massive fire broke out early Sunday in Kocani, North Macedonia, March 16, 2025. (Kocani TV via AP)