After 19 NBA seasons the last one with the New York Knicks, Jason Kidd has decided to call it a career. He will go down as one of the greatest point guards to play the game with Oscar Roberston, Magic Johnson and others. I know other writers will quote stats as a way to measure Kidd’s greatness, and while that is all well and good, to know if he was great or not all you had to do was see him play, period. He turned a big trade between the Nets and the Suns which was striaght up even swap of Stephon Marbury for Jason Kidd into a one sided franchise turner for the then New Jersey Nets. The Franchise was morbid and going no way suddenly with Kidd on the roster turned into a title contender for two striaght years going to the NBA finals back to back and losing to both the Lakers and the Spurs. No shame in that. Both had premire big men at the top of their game on Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan. Ok I tried to resist the urge to quote stats but ..with Jason Kidd stats still doesn’t do him justice. Yet it is hard not to marvel at the accomplishment of Kidd as a player:
NBA Champion: 2011
10-time NBA All-Star: 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010
6-time All-NBA:
First Team: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004
9-time All-Defensive Selection:
First Team : 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006
Second Team: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007
NBA co-Rookie of the Year: 1995 (with Grant Hill)
5-time NBA regular-season leader, assists per game: 1999 (10.8), 2000 (10.1), 2001 (9.8), 2003 (8.9), 2004 (9.2)
3-time NBA regular-season leader, total assists: 1999 (539), 2001 (753), 2003 (711)
The next stop for Jason Kidd is the Basketball Hall of Fame, a well deserved trip to the Hall of Fame.
smallthoughtsinasportsworld 