Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr began his pregame news conference on Friday with a tribute to another Bay Area coaching great in Laney College’s John Beam.
Beam died earlier Friday after a shooting on the Laney campus, where he was athletic director. A suspect, 27-year-old Cedric Irving Jr., is reportedly in custody and the authorities have described the attack as targeted, with the suspect and victim apparently knowing each other.
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Calling the coach a “legend,” Kerr praised Beam’s contributions to the Bay Area in his time as head coach at Laney and Skyline High School, a career that was documented in the final season of Netflix’s “Last Chance U.”
Kerr:
“Today’s a really, really sad day. Sad day for the Bay Area, sad day for Coach Beam’s family and everybody in Oakland. He was a revered figure in Oakland, did so much for so many people. On behalf of the Warriors, I just want to extend our condolences and remind everybody we have to be the change, as a community, as citizens, we have to be the ones who insist that we address gun violence issues.”
Kerr added that he didn’t know Beam personally, but had many friends in Oakland who knew the coach well and texted him Friday to explain his impact.
John Beam impacted countless lives in the Bay Area. (AP Photo/Laure Andrillon)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Beam was an accomplished high school and junior college coach with a reputation for being relentlessly dedicated to his players. Per Laney’s website, more than 20 of his former players have reached the NFL.
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Two of them were Nahshon and and Rejzohn Wright, now part of the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, respectively. Both posted tributes to Beam on Instagram, with Nahshon saying “Will forever miss you dawg” and Rejzohn saying “Crushed.”
NBA star Damian Lillard also spoke up, revealing that Beam gave him his first job at Laney football games.
