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#29 Jason Kidd
Kidd played college basketball for the California Golden Bears and was drafted second overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1994 NBA draft. He was named co-NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Mavericks. Initially a defensive-minded player with limited offensive capabilities, Kidd was nonetheless a strong floor general right off the bat.
He improved his defense to such an extent that he's, in my eye, alongside Gary Payton and Chris Paul as the greatest two-way point guards in the game. He did a better job than either of the two in leading his teams to postseason success over the course of his career as well.
In a run that lasted nearly 7 years with the New Jersey Nets, Kidd led them to 2 NBA Finals and was arguably an MVP snub in both the 2001-02 and the 2002-03 seasons. The Nets floundered soon after, however, and Kidd's best years were wasted on a middling playoff team
In the middle of the 2007–08 season, Kidd was traded back to Dallas. This time, the Mavericks were in a much better position to contend, and at age 38, Kidd won his only NBA championship when Dallas defeated Miami in the 2011 NBA Finals. As the primary ballhandler and often the defender switched onto LeBron James, Kidd played a pivotal role in the Mavs' only title win in franchise history.
He finished his playing career in 2013 with the New York Knicks. The following season, he became the head coach of the Nets, who had relocated from New Jersey to Brooklyn. After one season, he moved to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he coached for four seasons until he was fired mid-season in 2018.
Kidd's ability to pass and rebound made him a regular triple-double threat and he retired ranked third all-time in the NBA for regular season triple-doubles with a career total of 107 and second in playoff triple-doubles with a career total of 11. He ranks second on the NBA all-time lists in career assists and steals and ninth on the 3-point field goals made category.
