5 active NBA head coaches who had successful careers as players

#3 Jason Kidd

Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers and Assistant coach Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd hit the ground running after his introduction to the NBA in 1994. He jointly won the NBA Rookie of the Year award with Grant Hill, the second time in NBA history that voters couldn't decide on a winner.

After what was an impressive rookie season, Kidd continued to dominate the league, resulting in 10 All-Star appearances in his 19 years as an NBA player. In 2011, Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks pulled off an impeccable NBA Finals win against the Miami Heat super team composed of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

🗣 "There's no way we're going out like this"Watch the story of how the Dallas Mavericks went from a crushing defeat in 2006, to championship glory in 2011 🏆https://t.co/b8lr6Sf15L pic.twitter.com/QnuXo9w3sc

— NBA UK (@NBAUK) July 6, 2021

Kidd was an exceptional talent and was impressive on offense and defense. He made the NBA's All-Defensive first team four times in his career while making the All-Defensive second team twice.

The LA Lakers under Frank Vogel are known for their impenetrable defense, which helped earn them the NBA championship in 2020. With Kidd serving in the capacity of an assistant coach at the time, it is not rocket science to deduce that he played a crucial role in tightening their defense.

The 2021-22 season will see Jason Kidd serve in the capacity of head coach again as he was newly hired by the Dallas Mavericks. He has already worked as a head coach between 2013 and 2018, but did not record much success during that stint.

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#4 Chauncey Billups

Chauncey Billups looks on during the 2019 NBA Draft

Chauncey Billups was selected 3rd overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. Although he moved around a lot, his longest stint with one franchise was with the Detroit Pistons, where he spent seven of his 17-year career.

His time with the Pistons was undoubtedly the peak of his career. He was instrumental in overcoming the LA Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals to be awarded the NBA Finals MVP title.

The 2004 Finals MVP: Chauncey Billups.21.0 PPG51% FG47% 3PT93% FT5.2 AST3.2 RPG1.2 STLWhat a job from Mr. Big Shot 🤩#DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/f6vp3LScNB

— Tony Dombrowski (@tonydombrowski) April 30, 2020

While that was the most memorable period of Billup's career, he had several amazing runs in the NBA, which led to five consecutive All-Star appearances from 2006-2010. His heroics in Detroit also resulted in the franchise retiring his No. 1 jersey.

Billups is only in his second year as an NBA head coach. He served under Tyronn Lue as an assistant coach during the LA Clippers' impressive 2020-21 NBA season. He has since left the Clippers and will now start the 2021-22 season as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

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#5 Steve Nash

Head coach Steve Nash of the Brooklyn Nets

Steve Nash started his career as an NBA head coach with the Brooklyn Nets in 2020. Although he put together a superteam that looked like the favorites to clinch the NBA championship, injuries derailed their season.

Before making the transition from player to coach, he served as a consultant with the Golden State Warriors from 2015 and won championships in 2017 and 2018. During his time as a player, he played with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and finally retired with the LA Lakers.

Nash was the regular-season MVP in 2005 and 2006. He also made eight NBA All-Star appearances and seven All-NBA selections. The veteran guard also led the NBA in assists for five different seasons.