"I was finally the most talented player on the floor" - Why Steve Kerr enjoyed his post-NBA career playing pickup basketball

Steve Kerr spent 15 years in the NBA as a player, winning five championships, three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs . Kerr was also the league's all-time leader in career three-point shooting percentage at 45.4%

It was a long and fun grind with the best athletes in the world. And when he retired in 2003, the current Golden State Warriors coach found that he still had the itch to sweat it out on the basketball court.

Pickup games

Per NBC Sports , Kerr shared his routine playing sports, particularly basketball and tennis. Understandably, he gravitated toward hoops more, but Steve discovered that there was something more beautiful about shooting and dribbling in a lax environment.

"I actually enjoyed the pickup ball more than the NBA because I was finally the most talented player on the floor," Steve said. "I could actually cross somebody up and get to the rim. I'd be like, 'What just happened?'"

Let's not forget that Kerr has played alongside Michael Jordan , Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and other Bulls icons. Steve wasn't exactly dissing his teammates and foes at those pickup games. The talent gap was just so wide between him and his Chi-Town colleagues.

"But you miss the feeling of the freedom and the flow and the energy," Kerr continued. "You start making some shots, and you're running, and you get this incredible workout, and at the end of the games, you're just exhausted but in an incredibly satisfying way."

Related: Lawrence Taylor recalls Michael Jordan begging for foul calls during their UNC scrimmages: "I just hit you a little bit, come on, man"

No more cartilage

Kerr retired at 37 and said he played ball until he was 45. Steve would've continued playing the sport, but he couldn't. The 15-year NBA grind took a toll on the sharpshooter's body.

"I had a scope done by our team doctor in Phoenix," Kerr said. "I was GM at the time. I remember thinking, 'All right, I'll get a scope. And I'll be fine.' I wake up and he said, 'The scope went well. We cleaned it up. But you gotta stop playing basketball.' And I said, 'What?' And he said, 'Yeah, you gotta stop playing basketball and tennis. You just don't have any more cartilage.'"

Kerr was devastated. He had played ball all his life and even reached the highest level, but his body just couldn't take it anymore. The good thing is that Steve had the gift of communication and observation—the skills needed to be a head coach.

His weak knees prevented him from running up and down the hard court. However, Kerr's mind allowed him to stay on the sidelines.

Related: Michael Jordan felt like an 'idiot' after punching Steve Kerr: "I knew I had to be more respectful of my teammates"