Jason Kidd: Player to Coach to Part-Owner

Jason Kidd

June 29, 1994. An ordinary day. An extraordinary event took place that day. The 1994 NBA Draft saw the selection of two NBA Rookie of the year players, Grant Hill and Jason Kidd. Two players of extraordinary potential, one realised his potential and became a legend, while the others’ career was marred by injuries. Kidd was the second pick in the first round and he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks.

Jason Kidd was born on March 23rd, 1973 in Oakland. Initially drafted by the Mavericks. Kidd played for the Phoenix suns, New Jersey Nets, Mavericks again, New York Knicks before retiring from Brooklyn Nets (Former New Jersey Nets). Wherever Kidd went, he established himself as a Point Guard extraordinaire and a leader both on and off the court.

Kidd: The Player

At 6’4″, Kidd is definitely taller than the average NBA point guard and he definitely used this to his advantage. Kidd had a knack for finding passing lanes, open players and most importantly, creating openings in the court. He was also incredibly quick which allowed him to dribble past opponents and to steal the orange from them. Kidd finished his career with 8.7 Assists per game and 1.9 Steals per game, second only behind John Stockton.

Wherever Kidd went, the team’s performance improved dramatically. When Kidd was drafted by the Mavericks, their record improved from 13-69 to 36-46. This is the record for the largest improvement ever in the NBA. After he was traded to the Suns, their total number of wins improved by 16 games. Kidd led the Nets to a 50-32 season, a 26 game improvement from their previous season.

Kidd was a NBA Champion (2011, with the Mavs), 10 time NBA All – Star, 5 time All-NBA First Team, 4 time NBA All-Defensive first team, 5 time NBA Assists Leader, NBA co-rookie of the year. He finished with 12.6 Points per game, 8.7 Assists per game, 6.3 Rebounds per game and 1.9 Steals per game. He has 107 triple-doubles throughout his career, third behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson (Both are taller than him). He is definitely a future hall of famer, in my opinion.

Here’s some of Kidd’s best plays:

Although Kidd’s quality of play decreased after his Championship ring, his retirement is definitely a loss to the fans as we won’t be able to see him playing on the court. However, a mere 10 days after his retirement, Kidd took up the head coach job at the Brooklyn Nets, amidst immense surprise.

Jason Kidd

Kidd: The Coach

Jason Kidd as a player took the New Jersey Nets franchise to new heights. The Nets’ management is now hoping that Kidd as the Head Coach will again be able to impact the team the same way. Kidd becomes the third player since the 1976-77 ABA-NBA merger to become a head coach immediately after retiring as a player. His strong relationship with Nets’ Star Deron Williams, in addition to his vast experience, played a huge factor in Kidd becoming the head coach.

This is what Kidd had to say on the appointment:

I’m a rookie. I go from being one of the oldest players in the league to now a rookie coach. I’m very excited about the challenge. I think being here in Brooklyn we have a special opportunity to achieve that status as to being a championship-type-caliber team, and I’m looking forward to being part of that, helping with the structure and sharing things I [brought to the table] as a player such as being unselfish, communicating and being tough, and hopefully I can get that across to the guys.

He has met with his fair share of skepticism, who think that appointing a person who has never coached, as the head coach of a team aiming to win a championship is a huge risk. However, Kidd’s leadership skills will definitely be to his advantage. He has been observing coaches for a long time and he has even begun to keep a diary from 2010 in which he notes down how he would do things differently if he was the coach. Kidd definitely has a championship deserving team with All-Stars Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson and former All-Star Gerald Wallace. Whether he can turn this championship deserving team into a championship team against the likes of powerhouses like Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder remains to be seen.

Kidd: The Owner

In 2003, Kidd recommended rapper Jay-Z to buy a small percentage of the then New Jersey Nets. Now, Kidd himself is all set to buy half of Jay-Z’s share. Rumours have started floating around that this will give Kidd way too power, that he will answer to none but himself. No, this is not true, guys. Kidd is buying just a fraction of a percent of the Nets franchise.

Kidd already has a lot of expectations on him. Stellar player, future hall of famer, veteran player now a rookie head coach. This decision on his part might be a smart move, indirectly assuring the fans that he has more than just his job at stake if the Nets fail to perform well. He may also be hinting that he’s in this for the long run. Personally, I believe Kidd will make a good coach. Will Kidd the Head Coach/ Part owner be able to elevate the Nets to never before achieved heights of glory?