Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball for the California Golden Bears and was drafted second overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft. He was named co-NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Mavericks. Then, from 1996 to 2001, Kidd played for the Phoenix Suns and later for the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008. He led the Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. In the middle of the 2007–08 season, Kidd was traded back to Dallas, where he won an NBA championship in 2011. After finishing his playing career with the New York Knicks in 2012–13, he retired and returned a week later as head coach for the Nets, who had moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn.
Kidd's ability to pass and rebound made him a regular triple-double threat, and he retired ranked third all-time in the NBA for regular season triple-doubles with a career total of 107 and second in playoff triple-doubles with a career total of 11. He also won two Olympic gold medals with the US national team in 2000 and 2008.
After a highly publicized recruiting process, Kidd shocked many fans and pundits alike by choosing to attend the nearby University of California, Berkeley—a school that was coming off a 10–18 season and had not won a conference title since 1960—over a number of top-ranked collegiate programs including the University of Arizona, the University of Kentucky, the University of Kansas, and Ohio State University.
College
In his first year playing for the Golden Bears, Kidd averaged 13.0 points, 7.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.8 steals per game which earned him national Freshman of the Year honors and a spot on the All-Pac-10 team. His 110 steals set an NCAA record for most steals by a freshman and set school record for most steals in a season, while his 220 assists that season was also a school record. His play was also a key factor in the resurgence of Cal basketball and helped the Golden Bears earn an NCAA Tournament bid, where they upset two-time defending national champion Duke in the second round of that tournament before losing to Kansas in the Sweet 16.Kidd continued his success as a sophomore, tallying averages of 16.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 9.1 assists, breaking his previous school record for most assists in a season with 272, while also leading the nation in that category. He was also selected a First Team All-American, the first Cal player to be so named since 1968, as well as Pac-10 Player of the Year, becoming the first sophomore to receive that honor. The Golden Bears would make the NCAA Tournament again as a fifth seed, but would be upset in the first round by Dick Bennett's Wisconsin–Green Bay team 61–57. Kidd was also named a finalist for both the Naismith and Wooden Awards as college basketball's top player and subsequently opted to enter the NBA Draft in 1994. In 2004, Cal retired Kidd's number 5 jersey.
Playing career
Dallas Mavericks (1994–1996)
Kidd was selected as the second pick overall by the Dallas Mavericks, behind Glenn Robinson of Purdue, and just ahead of Duke's Grant Hill. In his first year he averaged 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists, and led the NBA in triple doubles, sharing 1995 NBA Rookie of the Year honors with Hill of the Detroit Pistons. The year before the Mavericks drafted Kidd, they finished the season with the worst record in the NBA at 13–69. After Kidd's first season with the Mavericks, their record improved to 36–46 which was the largest improvement in the NBA. Kidd also was voted a starter in the 1996 All-Star Game. In his first two years with the Mavericks, the move most people associated him with is "the baseball pass". Kidd was a member of the "Three J's" in Dallas along with Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn.Phoenix Suns (1996–2001)
Kidd was traded to the Phoenix Suns with Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer for Michael Finley, A. C. Green, and Sam Cassell during the 1996–97 season. In his first full season with the Suns in 1997–98, the team's win total improved by 16 games. Kidd made the All-Star Game three times (1998, 2000, and 2001) and led the NBA in assists for three consecutive years (1999–2001) with the Suns. In 2001, after five seasons in Phoenix in which the team made the playoffs each year, he was traded, along with Chris Dudley, to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman, and Soumaila Samake.New Jersey Nets (2001–2008)
Under Kidd's guidance, the young Nets team prospered through the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference title and the franchise's first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals. New Jersey's season would end without an NBA crown, as Kidd and the Nets were swept in four games by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers. New Jersey enjoyed another stellar season under Kidd's leadership in the 2002–03 NBA season, during which the team finished 49–33 and reached the NBA finals once again, only to succumb to Tim Duncan's San Antonio Spurs in six games. He had his highest scoring season with 18.7 points per game and led the league in assists with 8.9 per game.
As an unrestricted free agent in the 2003 offseason, there was speculation that Kidd would join the defending champion Spurs and replace Tony Parker as their starting point guard. Parker, then young and unproven, was perceived to have "limitations" in his game that Kidd did not. However, Kidd elected to stay with the Nets on a 6-year, $99 million deal.
In 2003–04, Kidd averaged 15.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 9.2 assists (leading the league in assists for the second year in a row). The Nets led by Kidd finished the season 47–35 but in the playoffs they lost in the conference semifinals in a seven-game series against the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons would go on to win the 2004 NBA Finals.
On July 1, 2004, Kidd underwent microfracture surgery to repair a damaged knee. He made a full recovery and returned to the court in December of that year, during which the Nets acquired star swingman Vince Carter from the Toronto Raptors. With the Nets hanging on the prospect of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and with Jefferson injured, Carter and Kidd combined to fuel the team to a late regular-season surge that enabled them to inch past the Cleveland Cavaliers for the eighth and final playoff berth in the East. Their season would come to an end as they fell in four games to the top-seeded Miami Heat in the first round.
In 2005–06, Kidd averaged 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.4 assists. He and Carter led the Nets to a third place finish in the East with a 49–33 record. In the playoffs they were defeated in the Conference Semifinals by the Miami Heat. The Heat would go on to win the 2006 NBA Finals.
On February 1, 2007, Kidd was named a reserve for the NBA All-Star game along with teammate Vince Carter. However, Kidd missed the game because of a strained back and was replaced on the roster by Joe Johnson. On April 7, 2007, Kidd and Carter became the first teammates to record triple-doubles in the same game since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did it in 1989 for the Chicago Bulls. Kidd finished with 10 points, 16 rebounds, and 18 assists. In the 2006–07 postseason, Kidd notched his 10th postseason career triple-double on April 27, 2007 in Game 3 against the Toronto Raptors. He recorded 16 points on 50% field goal shooting, a playoff career high 19 assists, 16 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block, as the Nets defeated the Raptors 102–89. He tied Larry Bird for second All-time in career postseason triple-doubles. In the first round of the postseason, Kidd averaged 14.0 points, 13.2 assists, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals, as the Nets defeated the Raptors in six games. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double in multiple playoff series. In Game 3 of the second round in the 2006–07 playoffs, Kidd recorded his 11th postseason triple-double with 23 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds, breaking the tie with Larry Bird for second place on the All-Time career list. For the postseason, Kidd averaged 14.6 points, 10.9 assists and 10.9 rebounds in twelve playoff games. He became the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire postseason. However, the Nets were eliminated in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the 2007–08 NBA season, Kidd became the third player to get a triple-double in three straight games since 1989. He did so after he logged his 97th career triple-double in a 115–99 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Kidd was voted by the fans to start in the 2008 All-Star game in New Orleans as a guard along with Dwyane Wade.
During that season Kidd had been mentioned in trade rumors, notably to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the deal fell through when the Lakers refused to give up their young center Andrew Bynum. On January 28, 2008, Kidd revealed that his agent had been talking to the Nets' front office about a trade. On February 19, 2008, Kidd was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, the team that originally drafted him.
Return to the Mavericks (2008–2012)
Although already a member of the Mavericks, Kidd started for the Eastern Conference in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, as he had already been named as a starter prior to the trade. The Mavericks made a strong playoff push following the trade, but despite a 51–31 record, they were only able to secure the seventh seed in the highly competitive Western Conference. In the playoffs, they faced Chris Paul's New Orleans Hornets, and were eliminated in five games in the first round.
The following season saw Kidd and the Mavericks stumble out to a rocky start, but manage to finish the season strong and earn the sixth seed in the playoffs. The Mavericks faced off against San Antonio in the first round, and managed to knock off the powerhouse Spurs in a surprising five game series. Kidd led Dallas in assists in all but one game, to lead the Mavericks into the conference semi-finals for the first time since 2006. They would go on to lose to the Denver Nuggets in five games.
On July 5, 2009, Kidd verbally committed to re-signing with the Mavericks after being pursued heavily by the New York Knicks. The three-year deal reportedly was worth more than $25 million, all of it fully guaranteed. In the first year of Kidd's new contract the Mavericks went on to finish 2nd in the Western Conference with a 55-27 record during the regular season. However, the season ended with another disappointment as the Mavericks lost in six games to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs.
On Halloween of 2010 against the Clippers, Kidd sank a 75 foot shot at the halftime buzzer.
On November 12, 2010, Kidd dished out his 11,000th career assist, an alley-oop dunk to teammate Tyson Chandler.
Jason Kidd won the NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks on June 12, 2011, defeating LeBron James and the Miami Heat. After appearing and losing in two different NBA finals, it was the first championship in his career. Kidd sparked the Mavericks' impressive run with 24 and 18 points in the first two playoff games against the Portland Trail Blazers. Dallas went on to win the series four games to two. The Mavs then swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, with Kidd playing strong defense against Kobe Bryant in clutch moments. In the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kidd spent a lot of time guarding either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook. Kidd hit a dagger 3-pointer late in overtime in a Game 4 victory at Oklahoma City. Dallas defeated Oklahoma in five games. In the NBA Finals, the Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, despite being down after the first three games. Kidd averaged 9.3 points, 7.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game during the Mavericks' championship run.
On February 20, 2012, Kidd collected his 2,515th career steal (passing Michael Jordan) making him second all-time in steals. Mark Cuban's decision not to resign key members of the championship roster like Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler and J. J. Barea strongly affected the Mavericks's 2011–12 season as the defending champions were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2012 NBA playoffs.
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On November 15, 2012, in a road win against the San Antonio Spurs, Kidd recorded 14 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. Notably, he made 3 three pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks overcome a 12 point fourth quarter deficit and propel them to a 104-100 victory. New York finished the season with 54 wins, an 18-game jump from the previous season. It was their first 50-win season since 1999–2000. The Knicks advanced to the second round of the playoffs, but lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. Kidd struggled during the playoffs, when he was held without a field goal in his last 10 playoff games.
Kidd retired on June 3, 2013, after one season with the Knicks and 19 seasons in the NBA. His announcement came two days after 1995 co-Rookie of the Year Grant Hill retired.
NBA coaching career
On June 12, 2013, Kidd was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, replacing interim coach P. J. Carlesimo. He is the third person since the ABA–NBA merger to debut as an NBA head coach the season after he retired as a player.Milestones
On April 16, 2008, Kidd reached a new career milestone, achieving his 100th career triple-double in the final regular-season game with the Dallas Mavericks that year against the New Orleans Hornets. In the 2008–09 season, Kidd became just the fourth player in NBA history to reach the 10,000 assist milestone and is now the only player in NBA history with 15,000 points, 10,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds. On April 5, 2009, Kidd passed Magic Johnson at third on the all-time assist list in a convincing 140–116 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Kidd scored 19 points with 6–8 shooting and a season high 20 assists, giving him a total of 10,142 career assists. On November 26, 2009, Kidd moved into 2nd place on the all-time assists list in a win against the Houston Rockets, surpassing Mark Jackson on the list. On February 20, 2012, Kidd passed Michael Jordan on the all-time steals list to become number 2 behind John Stockton. On February 8, 2013, Kidd broke the 12,000 career assist mark as a New York Knick vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He reached 12,000 on a pass to J.R. Smith for an elbow 3- pointer. The Knicks eventually won that game 100-94. In 2013, Kidd became the first player to win back-to-back NBA sportsmanship awards.USA Basketball
Jason Kidd's first participation in USA basketball came after his first season at Berkeley. He was the only freshman chosen to take part in Team USA's 10-member team. The team played five games in Europe and finished with a record of 3–2. Kidd tied for team highs in assists per game with 4.0, and steals per game with 1.4. He also had averages of 8.4 points per game, and 4.2 rebounds per game.Kidd's next stint with USA basketball came in 1999 where he participated in the USA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The team finished with an undefeated record of 10–0 resulting in a gold medal and earning a berth at the 2000 Olympics. Kidd averaged 7.4 PPG, 6.8 APG, 4.4 RPG, 2.7 SPG and again led the team in APG and SPG.
In 2000, Kidd was appointed as one of Team USA's tri-captains for the 2000 Olympics at Sydney. Kidd again led the team to an undefeated record of 8–0 which resulted in team USA winning the gold medal at the Olympic games. Kidd had averages of 6.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and had team highs of 4.4 apg, and 1.1 spg. Kidd also had a FG% of 51.6 and shot 50% from 3-point range.
In November 2002, Kidd was selected to participate in the 2002 USA Basketball Men's World Championship Team. However, he had to withdraw from the team due to an injury.
Kidd came back the next year and participated at the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico. Kidd again led the team to a record of 10–0, bringing home the gold medal and a berth at the 2004 Olympics. Kidd started all 10 games and had averages of 3.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5.9 apg, and 1.2 spg.
However, Jason Kidd again had to withdraw from the 2004 Olympic team due to another injury.
In 2007, Kidd participated in the FIBA Americas Championship 2007. Kidd helped the team to a 10–0 record where he brought home another gold medal and a berth at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Kidd had averages of 1.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.6 apg, and 1.3 spg. He also shot 60% from the field and 62.5% from 3-point distance. Kidd led the entire tournament with assist-to-turnover ratio of 9.20. With Kidd's help team USA averaged 116.7 ppg, and defeated their opponents by a margin of 39.5 ppg.
In 2008, Kidd participated in the 2008 Olympics where the team yet again went undefeated in winning their first gold medal since the 2000 Olympics. The team, given the "Redeem team" moniker because of failures in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and 2004 Summer Olympics, were once again crowned to be the best team in world basketball.
Overall, Kidd brought home five gold medals in his international career: three from Olympic qualifying tournaments, one from the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and one from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[32]
Player profile
Kidd retired second all-time in the NBA in both assists and steals behind John Stockton. Five times he led the NBA in assists. His 107 career triple-doubles were surpassed only by Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. Kidd finished his career with averages of 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 1,391 regular-season games. He impacted games with his accurate passes and by involving his teammates; scoring was not his focus. He is considered by many to be one of the best rebounding guards ever to play in the league, and called him "one of the best passing and rebounding point guards in NBA history."Although Kidd was considered a poor outside shooter when he began his pro career, he retired ranked third all-time in the NBA in three-point field goals made. The New York Times called his improvement as a shooter "perhaps Kidd’s biggest, and most surprising, transformation". He considered his NBA championship with Dallas and his two gold medals in the Olympics as being tied for the top highlights of his career, followed by the co-Rookie of the Year he shared with Hill.
Personal life
Kidd married his first wife Joumana in 1997. In January 2001, he was arrested and pleaded guilty to a domestic abuse charge for assaulting his wife Joumana in anger. As part of his plea, Kidd was ordered to attend anger management classes for six months. Kidd completed the mandatory counseling and continued to attend on his own. He and his wife were both active in their church and were thought to have completely reconciled. On January 9, 2007, Kidd filed for divorce, citing "extreme cruelty" during their relationship. He contended intense jealousy, paranoia, and the threat of "false domestic abuse claims" to the police as reasons for the divorce. On February 15, 2007 Joumana Kidd filed a counterclaim for divorce, claiming that the NBA star—among countless instances of abuse—"broke her rib and damaged her hearing by smashing her head into the console of a car". The couple have three children (Trey Jason (T.J.), and twins Miah and Jazelle).On September 10, 2011, Kidd married Porschla Coleman, a former model.
On July 15, 2012, Kidd was arrested by Southampton Town police and charged with a misdemeanor of driving while intoxicated. According to police, around 2 a.m. Kidd's vehicle struck a telephone pole and ended up in the woods a few blocks away from his home.
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