words // Brandon Richard
images // Nick DePaula
Prior to tonight's preseason game against the Miami Heat, the Brooklyn Nets will honor one of the most versatile and all-time great players in franchise history with an official jersey retirement ceremony. That player also happens to be first year head coach Jason Kidd.
In seven seasons with the then New Jersey Nets from 2001-2008, Kidd averaged 14.6 points, 9.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. As a Net, he was named an NBA All-Star five times, was All-NBA three times and All-Defensive six times. He owns the franchise record for assists (4,620), steals (950), 3-point field goals made (813) and triple-doubles (61).
More importantly, Kidd guided the Nets to two-straight NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. Though his Nets were defeated both times by Shaquille O'Neal's Lakers and Tim Duncan's Spurs, Kidd turning a 26-win team into a Finals team can't be overlooked. In fact, many experts and fans thought he was robbed of the 2001-2001 Most Valuable Player Award.
After Kidd was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2008, he went on to win a championship with the franchise in 2011, played the last of his 19 seasons with the New York Knicks last year and retired from the game in June. However, just a little more than week later, the Nets shocked the basketball world by bringing Kidd back to the franchise as its new head coach.
Celebrating Kidd's jersey retirement, we're taking a detailed look at a jersey he never actually wore — the Brooklyn Nets adidas REV30. Though Kidd's days with the franchise came before the relocation and the introduction of this bold black and white style, Brooklyn is hoping that he can do the exact same thing that he did in New Jersey — lead the Nets to the Finals.
