NBA's Brooklyn Nets hire former star player Jason Kidd as coach
Former star, who has no previous coaching experience, returns to scene of past glories
The Brooklyn Nets have hired Jason Kidd as their coach, bringing the former star back to the franchise he led to its greatest NBA success.
Kidd retired earlier this month after one season with the New York Knicks, his 19th in the NBA. The Nets decided to hire him to replace P.J. Carlesimo despite his absence of coaching experience.
"Jason Kidd has a long and legendary history with the Nets and with the city of New York," Nets owner Mikhail 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."
The move reunites Kidd with the franchise he led to consecutive NBA finals in 2002-03, when they played in New Jersey. He spent 61/2 seasons with the Nets, averaging 14.6 points, 9.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds, and is their career leader in numerous statistical categories.
"Jason is a proven winner and leader with an incredible wealth of basketball knowledge and experience," general manager Billy King said.
"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."