Getty Image / Alex Goodlett
Celebrities love taking pictures with other celebrities, especially if the encounters are unplanned. But, what happens if they take a selfie with a celebrity that isn’t a celebrity at all?
That’s exactly what happened to Roger Federer. The tennis legend thought he was getting a selfie with Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. But, it turned out to be a guy that just looked like Steve Kerr, instead of the four-time NBA champion coach.
The man he instead took a selfie with was Steve Gillis, an English teacher at football factory Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and a club volleyball coach. He claims that he’s been told he has an uncanny resemblance to Steve Kerr for over 30 years.
And, he definitely does.
Roger Federer stopped Steve Kerr for this selfie at a recent Warriors game. Only, this isn’t Steve Kerr.
For @FoxSports, I spoke to Steve Gillis about life as a celebrity lookalike.
Read the story here: https://t.co/GPllm8pLoG pic.twitter.com/f0f2661Wjm
— Melissa Rohlin (@melissarohlin) March 19, 2024
When Gillis’s kids treated him with tickets to a Warriors game earlier this month, the camera crew immediately picked up on the Steve Kerr doppelgänger.
There's a Steve Kerr lookalike in the building tonight 😳😅 pic.twitter.com/S9SsRPuWcr
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 10, 2024
But, things got weird when 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer asked him for a picture.
Gillis felt as though the seas would part whenever he walked past fans. Former Spurs player Sean Elliott shook his hand. And at halftime, tennis great Roger Federer even approached Gillis as he walked into the tunnel alongside Warriors owner Joe Lacob.
“Roger looks at me and says, ‘Let’s take a picture,” Gillis said. “He takes three selfies with me. And then he pats me on the shoulder and says, ‘Thanks.’ …The fact that he was so gracious and nice about it, I’m thinking, ‘I wonder if he knew I wasn’t Steve Kerr?'”
I understand where Roger Federer made the mistake! He does look a lot like Steve Kerr. But, why would Steve Kerr be dressed so casually during a game? I know that NBA coaches don’t dress as snazzy as they used to, but c’mon, Fed!
Also, how cool would it be to be mistaken for Steve Kerr all the time? I wonder how many free drinks that guy has gotten because people think he’s Kerr. Maybe he could sneak into Warriors games in the team entrance all the time. I’d be trying to take advantage of it.