Played at the UA from 1983 to 1988.   Helped lead the UA to the 1988 Final Four. Played in the NBA from 1988 to 2003.   Five NBA championship rings.

Steve Kerr, beloved UA Wildcat and NBA standout, admitted to being a little nervous about returning to McKale Center Saturday as commencement speaker. "This is a little intimidating, this is a little out of my realm. I'm used to talking about basketball and doing interviews dealing with the sports world," Kerr said in a telephone interview earlier this week. "I've never done anything like this before. It's daunting," said Kerr, a member of five NBA champion teams. Kerr, 38, will speak at both ceremonies in McKale Center, receiving the University of Arizona's Alumni Achievement Award in the morning. Terry J. Lundgren, chief executive officer of Federated Department Stores and 1975 graduate, will receive the award in the afternoon. The 130th Commencement will be one of UA's largest, with more than 5,000 graduates, and crowds of about 14,000 expected to fill McKale. Kerr's mother plans to attend, and Kerr said she is more proud of this than any game he has played. "This is a pretty big deal for her having her son speaking at commencement. It's pretty amazing." Julieta González, a UA spokeswoman, said she's gotten inquiries from Kerr's former classmates and fans asking if the ceremonies are open to the public - which they are. "The only one that was as big of an interest to the general public was (then-U.S. Secretary of State) Madeleine Albright. I'm very impressed," said González. There has also been significant national media interest as well. "You get a hometown icon who is a major athletic personality, I think in our society, athletes are still our biggest heroes," González said, explaining the heightened interest. And in Kerr's case, she said, he's also a nice guy. UA men's basketball coach Lute Olson predicted Kerr would score with the graduates. "Few people have ever risen to the occasion more often than Steve Kerr, especially in McKale Center," said Olson, who recruited and then coached Kerr during his UA career. "Delivering a speech may not be what he's used to, but I'm sure he'll give another memorable performance." Kerr was asked to speak before the White House wrangled an invitation it later declined in mid-March. The possibility of a presidential appearance sparked spirited responses throughout the campus and the community, with most of the opposition centered on the timing for President Bush, who is seeking re-election in November. "Dr. Likins told me from the beginning that I would probably be speaking," said Kerr, who has been researching his speech by reading commencement addresses online and talking to friends. UA President Peter Likins advised him to draw from personal experiences. "It's hard to know exactly what to say," said Kerr, who retired in August from a professional career that spanned the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic, the Chicago Bulls, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs. UA officials are quick to point out that he is only the second player in NBA history to win championships with different teams in consecutive seasons. And that he had the NBA's highest career three-point field-goal percentage. In April, Kerr made headlines as part of an investment group that bought the Phoenix Suns for $401 million - the highest price ever paid for a National Basketball Association franchise. "Down the road, if the opportunity is there, I may be more interested in taking on a more prominent role with the Suns in some capacity," said Kerr, currently an NBA analyst and commentator with Time Warner Inc.'s TNT network. "I feel like it's really hard to plan for that stuff when I know my more immediate goals are more family-oriented," Kerr said. "I know how the NBA works and I see what coaches in particular go through and how taxing it is on families." Kerr was a key player on the first Wildcat basketball team to win a Pac-10 title, and he helped lead the UA to the 1988 Final Four. Tucsonans also witnessed Kerr persevere through tragedy; his father, Malcolm, the president of the American University of Beirut, was assassinated his freshman year. "Playing basketball was what I loved more than anything," Kerr said. "It was a great lesson for me, being involved with something I loved and building relationships in that realm with coach Olson and my teammates. For me, that was the path to success - doing something I loved and working with a lot of great people. "It's a lot easier to make your way in life when you're excited every day about what you're going to do and who you spend time with." Friends like former teammate Matt Muehlebach, now a Tucson attorney, said the graduates would embrace Kerr. "He will have great credibility," Muehlebach said. "He's just like a lot of the students there. He's been through the same things at the UA. He's had ups and downs. He's smart but he's been able to excel because he's worked hard and he's had a great ability to take advantage of opportunities." Muehlebach was a freshman the year Kerr led the UA to the 1988 Final Four, and the pair have become better friends since leaving the UA. "The great thing about him is he doesn't take himself too seriously," Muehlebach said. Kerr maintained a home in Tucson's Sam Hughes Neighborhood, just east of the UA, for about 12 years. "We finally outgrew it. We sold it in October of last year," said Kerr, who has three children. The family is moving to San Diego from San Antonio this summer. "My short-term aspirations are to spend as much time with my kids as I can and enjoy their childhood," Kerr said. Played at the UA from 1983 to 1988. Helped lead the UA to the 1988 Final Four. Played in the NBA from 1988 to 2003. Five NBA championship rings.