Shortly after news broke Wednesday that Buster Posey was going to retire from the Giants on Thursday, Steve Kerr was asked for a comment but refrained until the news was official.
With Posey making his retirement official during an emotional press conference at Oracle Park on Thursday, Kerr finally felt comfortable discussing the end of the career for the Giants icon.
And the Warriors coach shares similar emotions with every single Giants fan.
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"Selfishly, I'm sad to see him retire," Kerr told reporters before the Warriors' game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. "I love watching him play. But I'm happy for him that he's able to go out on his terms, and being a dad and having young kids, nothing like being able to be home with your family and enjoy your life on your own terms. I think he mentioned it, there's some pain that goes along with being a professional athlete and there's way more pain as you get older.
"So I think he's being very wise. He recognizes all that stuff and he clearly gave it some thought and how can you not respect the decision he has made? But I will definitely miss watching him play."
Kerr knows a thing or two about being around generational talents, having played with Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan, and coaching Steph Curry now and Kevin Durant in the past.
Coming off a resurgent 2021 season, Posey decided to call it a career at the age of 34. He hangs up the spikes with three World Series titles, seven NL All-Star selections, NL MVP and NL Rookie of the Year awards to his name.
Golden State Warriors
Kerr and Giants fans will miss watching Posey play, but they all know the Georgia native made the decision for all the right reasons. Impossible to argue with that.