talk to a couple of parents," he said. "But never in the NBA."

While his father gave Walton his first exposure to basketball, and Jackson gave him a front-row seat to observe coaching greatness, it was Kerr who first put Walton on an NBA sideline. The Golden State Warriors' coach has played as large a role as any in guiding Walton to the Lakers' coveted post. The two developed much of their basketball philosophy and approach as championship role players for Jackson, so it was a natural fit for Kerr to hire Walton, who spent two seasons learning at Kerr's side and guided the Warriors to a 39-4 start in 2015-16 while Kerr was out with a back injury.

Luke Walton led the Warriors to a 39-4 start during SteveKerr's absence in 2015-16. Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Walton marveled at how Kerr's innate feel for not just his stars but also his little-used reserves could keep everyone on the team invested. Despite not being a Walton, Kerr feels much of his coaching DNA is also in Luke.

"I think Luke and I are as much alike as human beings as any two coaches could possibly be in the NBA," Kerr said. "When you consider our backgrounds, growing up in Southern California, on the beach, laid back, both played for Lute Olson [at Arizona], grounded in the fundamentals of Lute, Tex Winter and Phil Jackson, deeply in love and passionate about the game but not to the point of obsession. Good life balance, family man, he