Steve Kerr isn’t the only one not used to ‘Other Steve.’ What began as a routine halftime concession run at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas turned into a viral sensation when a fan at the preseason basketball game bought $46 worth of snacks for ‘Steve Kerr.’ The only catch? The Golden State Warriors head coach was at the game at that moment.

While most would wonder why a head coach would be at the snack line during the Warriors’ preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, the generous fan spotted the silver spiky hair, a square jaw, and bright blue eyes, and tapped her card on the snack-shop register to cover an order of M&Ms, nachos, and beer for someone she mistakenly thought was Steve Kerr.

She took the opportunity to express her admiration for his social contributions and political activism before snapping a quick photograph and hurrying away into the concourse crowd.

However, the individual accepting the hospitality was not the Golden State head coach, but rather Steve Gillis. He’s a local Las Vegas high school teacher. However, he’s better known on social media for having more than a passing resemblance to Kerr.

Reflecting on the surreal encounter, Gillis explained that the rapid interaction left him too stunned to clear up the confusion in the moment.

“I didn’t say anything,” Gillis told the SF Chronicle on Monday, recalling the incident. “I was so dumbfounded. And she wanted to get the picture, and she wanted to get away. I didn’t correct her. I did not. I’m sorry! I did not!”

We, however, can’t blame the enthusiastic lady who wanted to thank the Warriors coach. They happen to share Kerr’s first name, uncanny facial features, an athletic background, and loyalty to the Warriors.

Gillis attended his first Warriors game in 2024 and has continued to attend since, still managing to catch Kerr himself and longtime fans by surprise.

Decades of mistaken identity and a double-take from Steve Kerr

Steve Gillis is more than an English teacher at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. The co-founder of the Summerlin Volleyball Academy previously worked with the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team staff in Colorado Springs starting in 1998, long before Kerr himself got Team USA cred. But instead of his national accolades, living with a high-profile lookalike has been a constant reality for nearly thirty years.

The mixup traces back to Kerr’s playing career with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the mid-1990s. From corridor interactions with students to frequent photo requests at airport terminals, Gillis has grown accustomed to being mistaken for the NBA figure.

The Las Vegas exhibition game marked another chapter in Gillis’ viral history. Attending the Warriors-Lakers contest with his 9 and 10-year-old sons, Gillis took seats just a few rows behind the Golden State bench. During a stoppage in play, Kerr himself caught sight of Gillis in the crowd.

Fans who thought they were getting footage of Kerr walking into a section several rows behind the sidelines captured the exact moment the real Steve Kerr stood up and turned in time to spot his lookalike.

The clips showed the Warriors coach pausing mid-instruction to deliver a sharp, five-second stare of disbelief toward his doppelganger, creating a moment that turned into a social media legend.

Within hours, links to the clip were flooding Gillis’ phone from friends across Denmark, England, and Brazil.

Funnily enough, Kerr should’ve been used to his doppelganger since this was not the first instance of the two Steves crossing paths within the NBA ecosystem.

Gillis previously gained national attention in March 2024 after attending a Warriors game against the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center in San Francisco. Kerr acknowledged him with a fist pump; they could pass as brothers.

When asked about his lookalike during a subsequent practice session, Kerr offered a lighthearted assessment of their shared appearance.

“I just thought he was strikingly handsome,” Kerr joked to reporters at the time.

Those ‘strikingly handsome’ looks continue to stun Kerr and confuse fans more than two years later. While the two men share similar physical traits, ages, and first names, they remain completely unrelated.

Gillis ultimately channeled his athletic interests into volleyball rather than basketball, but his occasional appearances at Warriors games ensure that the identity mix-ups will likely continue whenever Golden State visits Nevada.