DPA/Los Angeles
The Brooklyn Nets have picked a Kidd (pictured) as the best man for their head coaching job... future NBA Hall of Famer, Jason Kidd.
Kidd retired on June 3 after 19 decorated seasons but the 10-time NBA All-Star will start his second career today, when he is officially named to the position at a press conference.
“On behalf of the Nets organisation, I am very pleased to welcome Jason Kidd as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets,” team general manager Billy King said on the team’s website.
“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.”
Kidd was delighted to get his first head coaching shot with the Nets, whom he captained to two NBA Finals appearances (2002 and 2003) in his 6.5 seasons, when they played in New Jersey.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to be named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and it’s a role I have been studying over the course of my playing days,” he said.
“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.”
Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw was considered to be the front-runner for the vacancy left when the Nets didn’t offer the job to interim head coach P J Carlesimo. Instead, owner Mikhail Prokhorov went with Kidd in what is expected to be a three-year deal.
“Jason Kidd has a long and legendary history with the Nets and with the city of New York,” Prokhorov said. “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.”
Though Kidd has plenty of on-court leadership, helping the Dallas Mavericks to the 2011 NBA Championship and is a two-time Olympic Gold Medallist, leading Team USA in 2000 at Sydney and in 2008 in Beijing, the 40-year-old has no head coaching experience. For that, he is expected to hire former Detroit and Nets head coach Lawrence Frank as one assistant.
Kidd will take over the Nets, who are coming off their second greatest season in franchise history. Led by Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez, they went 49-33 in the regular-season but lost to Chicago in the first-round of the playoffs.