Steve Kerr spent the 2022-2023 NBA season dropping Taylor Swift lyrics so casually that most people barely noticed. But once ESPN’s Wright Thompson connected the dots, it turned into a hilarious hidden storyline. From press conferences to sideline moments, the Golden State Warriors coach kept sneaking in lines from “All Too Well” like a true Swiftie.

“Three years ago, to entertain himself in his press conferences, Steve worked phrases from Swift’s song ‘All Too Well’ into his interview answers, smoothly enough that nobody noticed,” Thompson wrote. “For instance, to get the first line of the song, he took the podium after beating the Rockets in March of 2023 and said, ‘I walked through the door of the locker room at halftime.'”

That’s not all. Wright Thompson continued the story. “Over a long season he got most of the lyrics done, crossing them off as he went,” the ESPN writer added. “His son Matthew later edited them into a video for their family group chat, so that Kerr appeared to have recited the whole song.” Well, the end-of-the-season clip reached Taylor Swift. “She ended up seeing it through a mutual friend,” Kerr’s son told.

At first, the Love Story artist didn’t believe her eyes. Taylor Swift found it creative and funny. She asked, “Wait, is this real?” Swift wanted to put the clip on her social media, “Can I put it on social media?” she asked. However, Kerr told his staff to keep it quiet, despite doing it in plain sight for months. He feels open and approachable. Yet somehow, Steve Kerr remains hard to fully figure out.

The stunt also fit naturally into a Warriors culture that has long embraced music as part of its identity.

Steve Kerr & the Warriors’ affinity towards music

Music echoes through almost every Warriors practice under Kerr. Loud playlists blast during shootarounds while players move through drills surrounded by constant noise. Kerr has long believed the environment helps sharpen focus, maintain energy, and keep the team loose during the grind of an NBA season.

Meanwhile, assistant coach Khalid Robinson usually handles the aux cord like a trusted floor general. Steve Kerr’s special assistant serves as the team’s in-house DJ and carefully shapes the vibe around the locker room. During Golden State’s final season in Oakland, Robinson even created a special playlist packed with East Bay artists to celebrate the city and its culture.

Then, back in 2016, Paul Simon arrived at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre as the main attraction. However, the Bay Area crowd had another celebrity on its mind. Steve Kerr walked through the venue just one night after leading the Golden State Warriors to a 104-89 NBA Finals win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and a 1- 0 series lead. Almost instantly, “Go Warriors” chants erupted across the theater.

The moment became so chaotic that Paul Simon briefly stopped performing. Even the Grammy-winning legend could not compete with the Warriors’ fever sweeping Oakland at the time. Then came the perfect punchline. Paul Simon jokingly told Steve Kerr he would return the favor by stepping onto the basketball court the next time Stephen Curry buried a three-pointer.

From hidden Taylor Swift lyrics to practice playlists and unforgettable Bay Area concert moments, music has quietly followed Steve Kerr throughout his Warriors run. So while the “All Too Well” stunt sounded bizarre at first, inside Golden State’s culture, it somehow made perfect sense.