Payam Javan: Steve Kerr witnessed everything that Gregg Popovich went through as coach of the United States men’s national team, and he knows how difficult it was for the Americans to win another gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics last summer.

He was drained when he stepped off the stage for the last time in Tokyo.

Kerr was formally announced as the next coach of the U. S. men’s team on Monday in San Francisco, confirming a long-rumored gossip that the Golden State coach would be taking over for Popovich and leading the Americans to the 2023 Basketball World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics if they qualified. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams, and Gonzaga coach Mark Few will be Kerr’s assistant coaches.

Kerr would be the 16th coach to lead the United States men to the Olympics. Thirteen of the previous fifteen have won the gold medal. Grant Hill’s hiring for the post is his first significant move as managing director of the men’s national team, a position he’ll take over from Jerry Colangelo, who helped the Americans win four Olympic gold medals in the last four years.

The United States is now qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, which will be held in the Philippines, where Spoelstra’s mother was born. A strong performance in the World Cup would be the most straightforward way to qualify for the Paris Olympics; being the reigning gold champion and the world’s top-ranked team does not automatically qualify the Americans for the games.