Jason Kidd is a highly decorated former American basketball player as well as a coach. In 19 star-studded seasons in the NBA, the amazing player amassed a staggering 17,529 points, 12,091 assists, and 8,725 rebounds. He is the only player in the NBA history to reach 15,000 points while exceeding 10,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds in the life of his career in basketball.
After doing amazing exploits during his years of active play, Kidd retired in 2013 and is considered one of the greatest Point guards the NBA has ever seen. Information about this living legend can never be enough as fans will always love to know more.
The Mark Of Jason Kidd’s Impressive Career Was Laid At A Young Age
Jason Frederick Kidd was born on the 23rd of March, 1973 in Oakland, San Francisco. The young basketball player whose pedigree is a mixture of African-American and Irish Ancestry was initially a soccer player; he laid the mark for what would be an impressive career at a young age. Jason Kidd led his high school (St Joseph Notre Dame High School) to consecutive state championships and received several individual honors including the prestigious Naismith Award as the best high school basketball player in the country.
He continued his impressive form at the University of California, Berkeley, and received the All-American honor; the first Cal player to be so honored since 1968. After two seasons with the Golden Bears, Kidd declared for the 1994 NBA draft.
A Look At All The NFL Clubs He Played For
Dallas Mavericks (1994 – 1996)
During the NBA draft of 1994, Jason Kidd was selected as the 2nd overall by the Dallas Mavericks of the National Football Association. Averaging 11.7 points, 7.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds, the rookie player led the NBA in triple-doubles and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1995; an honor which he shared with Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons. The Mavericks were performing quite abysmally before the advent of Kidd, in fact, their previous season was concluded with what was considered as the worst record in the NBA at 13–69; but with Kid, they improved at 36–46 which, at 23 games, was seen as the greatest improvement in the NBA.
After Jason Kidd was voted a starter in the All-Star Game (1996), his promising beginning was marred by a persistent problem with the coaches which led the Mavericks to trade their potential star as he stepped into his third season in the league.
Phoenix Suns (1996 – 2001)
Though he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1996, Jason Kidd had his first full season with them in 1997–98 which saw the improvement of the team’s win total by 16 games. The 1998–99 season was quite remarkable as he led the NBA with seven triple-doubles with the rest of the league having just 11, he ranked second in the league recording 41.2 minutes per game with Allen Iverson taking the lead at 41.5 mpg. With several career-high points, the multi-racial point guard emerged as the sole player to be ranked among the top 50 in the National Basketball Association in ten different statistical categories. The Suns were victorious in all seven of the games in which Kidd had triple-doubles
Jason Kidd’s 1999–00 season was marred by an ankle injury; however, he was on hand during the Suns’ playoffs game with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs to assist his team in beating the Spurs and advancing to the second round which was a first for him.
Greatly affected by personal problems in the 2000–01 season as he had to face charges of domestic abuse by his wife, his team had to struggle in the mid-season, however, they still finished strongly with a 15–6 record securing another 50-win season. Jason Kidd recorded another first by having 30-plus points six times on the year as well as five times during the last 19 games.
The star player was traded to the New Jersey Nets on the 28th of June 2001 after he made the All-Star Game in 1998, 2000, and 2001, leading the NBA in assists for three consecutive years (1999–2001). With the Suns, Kidd rose to the status of the best playmaker in the NBA as he was voted to the All-NBA First Team three years in a row from 1999 to 2001.
New Jersey Nets (2001 – 2008)
During the 2001/02 season, Jason Kidd led the Nets to a 52–30 finish, a 26-game improvement from their previous season, and the first 50-win season in the franchise’s history in the NBA. His guidance made the team advance to the NBA finals for the first time. In fact, he transformed the team from perennial league doormats into one of the championship contenders seemingly within the space of a single training camp.
Though they were swept in four games in the finals, the Nets won three consecutive games with Kidd averaging a triple-double for the entire series. The 2002/03 season under Kidd’s leadership was quite a stellar one for the Nets; they finished 49–33, reaching the NBA finals once again. The team in the 2003/04 season also finished the season 47–35 as Jason Kidd was voted to the All-NBA First Team for the fifth time in his career.
The 2004/05 season saw the Nets eliminated in four games to the top-seeded Miami Heat during the first round but the following season (2004/05) was quite remarkable as Carter Assisted Kidd to lead the team to a third-place finish in the East recording a 49–33 score to secure their fourth Atlantic Division title in the last five seasons. They did well in the playoff, but the Conference Semifinal was not so good as they succumbed to the Miami Heat, the eventual champions
Though the Cleveland Cavaliers got the better of them in the 2006/07 season during the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Nets still had a good season as the recorded several wins. After the 2007/08 season, he was traded back to his original team the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas Mavericks (2008 – 2012)
According to the records, Jason Kidd faced so many disappointments during his first two years back with the Mavs, but the point guard was able to win the NBA Championship with the team on the 12th of June 2011, defeating NBA All-Stars Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh as well as the Miami Heat; this marked Jason Kidd’s first and only NBA Championship win in the life of his career.
Still doing exploits at age 38, Kidd made the records as the oldest starting point guard ever to lead his team to the championship. However, the 2011/12 season turned out to the last for the legendary player as the defending champions were swept by the team of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2012 NBA playoffs.
New York Knicks (2012 – 2013)
Due to some reshuffling within the team, Kidd had to adjust more to the shooting guard role after he was signed on by the New York Knicks on the 12th of July 2012. Though close to forty years of age in the 2012/13 season, Kidd played 33 minutes per game in December with his team ending the season with a total of 54 wins which has not been possible since 1999–2000 season.
However, the second round of the playoff was quite bad as he had to struggle and was held without a field goal in his last 10 playoff games; this was believed to be the effect of his regular season when he was overworked. The iconic player decided to throw in his retirement on the 3rd of June 2013 after just one season with the Knicks.
Jason Kidd was also an outstanding player for his country, winning a total of five gold medals with the national basketball team. Two of these gold medals came from the Sydney Olympics (2000) and the Beijing Olympics (2008).
Facing A Brand New Challenge As A Coach
Nine days after he announced his retirement in 2013, Jason Kidd surfaced in a new role as the 18th coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Though he recorded rough times in his early days as the Net’s coach, Jason earned the title of the Coach of the Month (an award which he won twice within the season) after coaching the team to win 10 of their 13 games in January 2014.
Kidd also continued his exploits with the Milwaukee Bucks of the NFL which he coached from 2014 to 2018. Under his guidance in the 2014/15 season, the Bucks made improvements from franchise-worst 15 wins in the previous season. 2015/16 was a bit disappointing but they bounced back in the next season with a winning record that qualified them for the playoff. The former player and coach is now the assistant coach of the Los Angeles Lakers – a position which he assumed in 2019. Kidd has shared some of his moments with the Lakers on Instagram.
Jason Kidd Comes From A Multi-Racial Background
The former American footballer is the product of interracial marriage. His dad, Steve is African-American while his mom, Anne is Irish-American. Though his parents are now divorced, they remain on amicable terms, perhaps for the sake of their three children that still binds them together
Jason Kidd’s parents are not his only direct relatives as the star basketball player grew up in an upper-middle-class section of Oakland alongside a couple of younger siblings – two sisters named Kim Kidd and Denise Kidd. However, information on their life and career is sadly lacking.
Read Also: What Is Manu Ginobili Age And How Tall Is He?
The Former Basketball Player Has A Record Of Two Marriages
Jason Kidd has gotten hitched on two occasions. His first marriage was to actress and TV host, Joumana Marie Kidd (nee Samaha) in 1997. Their marriage was marred by several issues including allegations of domestic violence and abuse. In fact, Kidd was actually charged with assaulting his wife in January 2001. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6 months of anger management classes. The couple divorced in 2007. Kidd is presently married to a former model, Porschla Coleman. They tied the knot on the 10th of September 2011 and are still waxing strong.
Jason Kidd has a total of 7 children. His first child, Jason Kidd Jr. was born on the 16th of November, 1993, while he was in college. The mother’s name is Alexandria Brown. Kidd’s first marriage produced three children, a son Trey Jason (born on the 12th of October 1998) and twin daughters, Miah and Jazelle (born on the 26th of September 2001).
The coach also has three children with his present wife, Porschla. They are Chance Kidd, Noah Grace, and Cooper Anne. Cooper Anne was born in November 2017. Kidd’s sons played basketball in high school but there is no indication that they are making a professional career out of it. Kidd’s first son, Jason Jr, is openly gay and is proud to be the ‘pink sheep of the family’.
