The Brooklyn Nets have named former Net Jason Kidd as the team’s new head coach, General Manager Billy King announced tonight. Kidd becomes the 18th head coach in the franchise’s NBA history.
“On behalf of the Nets organization, I am very pleased to welcome Jason Kidd as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets,” said King. “Jason is a proven winner and leader with an incredible wealth of basketball knowledge and experience. This will be a natural transition for him to move into the role of head coach, as he embodies the tough, smart and team-first mentality that we are trying to establish in Brooklyn.”
“Jason Kidd has a long and legendary history with the Nets and with the city of New York,” said Nets Principal Owner Mikhail Prokhorov. “He has the fire in the belly we need, and has achieved as a player everything the Brooklyn Nets are striving to achieve. We believe he will lead us there. Welcome home, Jason.”
“This is a tremendous opportunity to be named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and it’s a role I have been studying for over the course of my playing days,” said Kidd. “Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable, and that’s how I expect to coach this basketball team. I am truly excited about this next phase of my basketball career.”
Kidd, who captained the Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003, played in 506 games over six and a half seasons for New Jersey, averaging 14.6 points, 9.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. Throughout his tenure with the Nets, Kidd led the team to six consecutive playoff appearances, including two Eastern Conference Championships and four Atlantic Division titles. As a Net, Kidd was selected as an NBA All-Star five times while being named to an All-NBA team three times and an NBA All-Defensive team six times. In Nets all-time NBA history, Kidd currently ranks first in assists (4,620), steals (950), three-point field goals made (813) and triple-doubles 61, second in minutes played (18,737), fourth in points (7,373) and rebounds (3,662), fifth in games played (506) and sixth in field goals made (2,613) and free throws made (1,352). In 78 playoff games, Kidd holds Nets all-time records for points, assists, rebounds, steals, field goals made/attempted, three-point field goals made/attempted, minutes and games played.
Over his 19 year NBA playing career, Kidd holds averages of 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.93 steals, while playing for Dallas, Phoenix, New Jersey and New York. On the League’s all-time leaders lists he ranks: second in assists (12,091) and steals (2,684), third in minutes (50,111), three-point field goals (1,988) and triple-doubles (107), sixth in games played (1,391), 50th overall in rebounds and first overall amongst guards (8,725), 71st in points scored (17,529).
