Steve Kerr feels a rush of joy when watching his oldest son play basketball, making him think how special it would have been for his father, Malcolm, to have seen his games with the University of Arizona and in the NBA. Today, Kerr's dad would see his son becoming more like him. Kerr's personality emanated from his father, but the job of Suns general manager has put him in a leadership role for the first time, and he has drawn on his father's life lessons in human relations.Kerr's goals are the same ones his father had as president of American University in Beirut, Lebanon - galvanize people, motivate them and aid their ability to succeed. "There are a million things that would've been great," Kerr said.
Twenty-five years ago today, Kerr's world was tragically altered. He received a 3 a.m. call in his UA freshman dormitory room from a family friend at American University in Beirut. Malcolm Kerr had been murdered for doing the job he once said was the only thing that could make him happier than watching Steve play basketball. Angry with the U.S. military's presence in Lebanon, two Islamic Jihad militants staked out Kerr's office and assassinated him by shooting him outside the building. Malcolm Kerr was raised on that campus, and had met his wife in that building. He spoke Arabic and had a passion for Middle East politics. He was killed by the terrorism and tension he knew too well.
"You can't describe it," Kerr said of his feelings about losing his father as an 18-year-old. "Anybody who has been through something similar can share the emotion. I don't think anybody can really explain it, but people who have gone through it will know what I mean."
Kerr, who was born in Beirut, often has had a basketball game scheduled on Sunday's date since his father's murder. This Sunday is no different, as he has traveled with the Suns to Toronto for their matchup with the Raptors.
He said he is amazed at how quickly the 25 years have passed, but the memories of the day his father was murdered are clear. UA booster George Kalil, who had heard the news on the radio, and UA assistant Scott Thompson picked up Kerr and drove him around Tucson that day. Unsure about what to do next, Kerr went to class. "I was just in a total daze," he said.
He then went to coach Lute Olson's office, where he laid on a couch for hours until practice. Kerr spent the night at Olson's home, coping with a tragedy he had not anticipated despite recent area bombings and professor kidnappings. "You just don't believe it can happen to you," Kerr said. "You think there's a protective shield."
He grew up aware of the world that took his father. The family took sabbaticals to the Middle East and lived in Egypt for three years, where they had friends in Jerusalem and the West Bank who were Palestinian and Israeli. Dinner topics often focused on the quest for peace in the Middle East. "Things are worse than ever," Kerr said. "He'd be extremely disheartened."
The pain did not end with the murder. In his first UA game after the assassination, some Arizona State students targeted Kerr with uninformed, sickening chants of "PLO, PLO." Last season, twisted minds still were at it after he had traded for center Shaquille O'Neal. Two e-mailers made death threats that included references to Kerr's father.
That is the work of an ugly American, not the type his dad represented before being murdered. Malcolm Kerr did great work in education and his home. "People who knew him will remember what a great person he was," Kerr said. "I just remember what a great father he was and how lucky I am to have had him as a dad."