Watching the 2024 NBA Finals and wondering how Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd got to his position?
Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one.
Even Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t familiar with Kidd’s Hall of Fame playing career when Kidd was his head coach in Milwaukee. Kidd might not get the same level of recognition as some of his star counterparts from the 2000s, but he’s one of the best point guards to ever play the game.
The 6-4 floor general was an incredible passer, physical defender and tenacious rebounder. He ranks second in NBA history in total assists and steals, and he recorded over 100 triple-doubles in his career.
Kidd was a 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defense, five-time assist champ and the 1995 co-Rookie of the Year. He also helped lead Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks to an NBA championship as a player, upsetting LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat in 2011.
If Kidd can lead Dallas to a title as a coach, he’ll join a short list of people in NBA history to win a championship as a player and coach for the same franchise.
Kidd’s lengthy list of stats and accolades earned him a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and he was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team as one of the 75 greatest players of all time.
Learn more about each stop from Kidd’s 19-year NBA career below.
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Jason Kidd playing career timeline
Mavericks, 1994-97
After a two-year All-American career at Cal, Kidd was taken by the Mavericks with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft.
He spent the first two and a half seasons of his career in Dallas, earning co-Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill in 1995 and his first All-Star bid as a second-year player in 1996. Kidd was thought to be Dallas’ franchise point guard of the present and future but a feud with his head coach and teammates got him traded during the 1996-97 season.
Kidd was sent with Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer to the Suns in a blockbuster deal for Sam Cassell, Michael Finley A.C. Green and a second-round pick.
Suns, 1997-2001
The trade didn’t derail Kidd’s trajectory to become one of the best point guards of all time. He took the Suns to the playoffs all five years he was in Phoenix, but he only made it out of the first round once.
Kidd was a three-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA First Team guard with the Suns, also winning the assists title three times.
After another first-round exit in 2001, Phoenix decided to swap star point guards with the New Jersey Nets, sending Kidd and role players for Stephon Marbury.
Nets 2001-08
Kidd quickly turned around a Nets team that finished with one of the worst records in the NBA the year prior.
In his first season, New Jersey went from the basement of the league to the 2002 NBA Finals, but it was swept by Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
Kidd led the Nets back to the NBA Finals in 2003, but this time they lost to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and the Spurs in six games.
Even though Kidd never won a title with the Nets, he is widely considered one of the best players in the franchise’s history. He was an MVP candidate, four-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA and two-time assist champ over six and a half years in New Jersey.
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Mavericks, 2008-12
The Nets were struggling ahead of the 2007-08 trade deadline and decided to move Kidd. The All-Star point guard was sent back to the team that drafted him in another blockbuster deal.
Kidd was traded with two role players to the Mavericks for rising star guard Devin Harris, Desagana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager, Keith Van Horn and two first-round picks, which became Ryan Anderson and Jordan Crawford.
The trade paid dividends for Dallas down the line as Kidd eventually led the Mavericks to their first NBA championship in franchise history in 2011.
A core of Nowitzki, Kidd, Jason Terry and Tyson Chandler dethroned the Heat’s star-studded “Big 3” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to win the title in six games.
Knicks, 2012-13
Kidd played four and a half seasons in Dallas before he signed with the Knicks as a free agent to close his career.
As a 39-year-old, Kidd only played one season in New York. The Knicks lost to the Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and he retired to pursue a career in coaching.
Jason Kidd coaching career timeline
Kidd began his NBA head coaching career immediately, tasked with leading the veteran-heavy Nets that featured Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams.
Fired after one tumultuous season in Brooklyn, Kidd took over as head coach of the Bucks with future superstar Antetokounmpo. He spent three years in Milwaukee but was fired midway through the 2017-18 season.
Kidd took a year off, then spent two years as an assistant coach under Frank Vogel with the Lakers. He earned a championship ring in 2020.
Kidd was hired as the Mavericks head coach in 2021 and has held the position since.
You can find Kidd’s coaching record below.
| Year | Team | Record | Result |
| 2013-14 | Nets | 44-38 | Lost to MIA in East Semis |
| 2014-15 | Bucks | 41-41 | Lost to CHI in East First Round |
| 2015-16 | Bucks | 33-49 | Missed playoffs |
| 2016-17 | Bucks | 42-40 | Lost to TOR in East First Round |
| 2017-18 | Bucks | 23-22 | Fired mid-season |
| 2019-20 | Lakers | Assistant Coach | NBA Champions |
| 2020-21 | Lakers | Assistant Coach | Lost to PHX in West First Round |
| 2021-22 | Mavericks | 52-30 | Lost to GSW in Conference Finals |
| 2022-23 | Mavericks | 38-44 | Missed playoffs |
| 2023-24 | Mavericks | 50-32 | Reached NBA Finals |
| Total | 323-296 |