Former NBA player turned coach, Steve Kerr, has been vocal about using marijuana in search of relief from excruciating back pain.
Back in the summer of 2015, right after leading the Golden State Warriors to their first NBA championship in decades, Steve Kerr found himself dealing with a nagging back injury.
Given that he had spent 15 seasons as a player before transitioning into coaching, the back injury had been building up from years of playing professional basketball and the wear and tear that comes with it.
Kerr decided to undergo what he thought would be a routine surgery to repair a ruptured disk in his spine, hoping it would allow him to continue guiding his team.
However, complications arose almost immediately when a spinal fluid leak occurred during the procedure, leading to intense headaches, nausea, and a kind of pain that radiated through his entire body.
Over the months, the pain grew so intense that Kerr had to step away from the team at the start of the 2015-2016 season. During this time, he left his assistant coaches to handle things while he focused on healing.
Kerr returned in January to help the Warriors set a record with 73 wins, but the pain never fully went away.
In 2016, following two back surgeries, desperate for something that might ease the chronic ache without relying on heavy painkillers, Kerr turned to medical marijuana.
In fact, he admitted later that he tried it a couple of times over the past 18 months. He smoked it in the privacy of his home as he searched for ways to alleviate chronic back pain.
Kerr opened up in an interview, writing:
I guess maybe I could even get in some trouble for this, but I’ve actually tried [marijuana] twice during the last year and a half when I’ve been going through this pain, this chronic pain that I’ve been dealing with
Steve Kerr
He explained that his motivation came from a deep frustration with the limitations the pain imposed on him, not just physically but emotionally, too.
But as it turned out, the marijuana didn’t work for him the way he had hoped, giving him no real relief and even causing some unpleasant side effects like headaches that only added to his troubles.
So, Kerr stopped using it after those few attempts, realizing that what helped others might not be the answer for everyone.
Instead, he leaned on a combination of physical therapy and rest, such as during the 2017 playoffs, when he had to miss several games once more due to the recurring symptoms from that original surgery.
Over time, with the support of his family, including his wife Margot and their children, and the understanding from the Warriors organization that allowed him flexibility, Kerr gradually found ways to manage the condition better.
He incorporated things like yoga, acupuncture, and careful monitoring of his daily activities to avoid triggers.
During this time, he advocated publicly for athletes to have access to options like marijuana if it could prevent them from turning to more dangerous substances.
