In what was his first major public appearance since being fired as Milwaukee Bucks head coach, Jason Kidd was enshrined in the Hall of Fame on Friday.
Having seen and heard so much from him for the best part of four years, Milwaukee Bucks fans and the wider NBA have been dealing with something of a radio silence from Jason Kidd since he was fired from his role as Bucks head coach back in January.
Outside of an interview with Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck, and some quotes offered to other journalists providing his account of his Bucks’ tenure, Kidd had kept a particularly low profile up until Friday, when one of the greatest honors basketball has to offer was bestowed upon him.
Kidd was among those to be officially enshrined to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a part of the Class of 2018, which was fitting considering Grant Hill and Rod Thorn, two individuals who Kidd’s career seemed permanently tied to, were also receiving that honor on this occasion.
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Of course, this was an honor for Kidd’s outstanding career and contributions to the game as a player, rather than offering any acknowledgement of what’s been an inauspicious coaching career to date through spells in Brooklyn and Milwaukee. Unsurprisingly, Kidd decided against discussing his time in Milwaukee as coach of the Bucks in his speech.
Kidd opted to be presented to the Hall of Fame by his long-time friend, fellow California native, and another legendary NBA point guard, Gary Payton, who of course is another figure who draws mixed emotions from Bucks fans considering his incredibly brief stay with the team following the Ray Allen trade.
Continuing the theme of Bucks’ connections in his speech, Kidd made special mention of current Bucks Special Consultant Rod Thorn, who aside from working with Kidd in Milwaukee, was the Nets’ general manager during the most productive and memorable section of his playing career. As the cameras cut to Thorn in the crowd, Kidd thanked him for giving him “the opportunity on the big stage”.
A further Bucks connection popped up when Kidd reflected on his second spell with the Dallas Mavericks, and the group of teammates who helped him to deliver a title. While an almost Buck may have been the focus of Kidd’s thanks and jokes about his championship success in the form of Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, who has spent the last two seasons with the Bucks, also warranted a special mention.
On Twitter, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo also took the time to offer his congratulations to the man who coached him for the majority of his formative years in the NBA.
Congrats on the Hall of Fame coach! It is well deserved! It was an honor learning from a HOF! @RealJasonKidd pic.twitter.com/i74G9LVMJJ
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) September 8, 2018
While Kidd’s future remains uncertain in regard to when he’ll get a chance to coach in the NBA again, or whether further opportunity will ever even arise in that regard, there’s no disputing the place he holds in the history of the NBA and the game as a whole.
In his time as a player, Kidd appeared in 10 All-Star games, earned six selections to All-NBA teams, nine selections to All-Defensive teams, was the NBA assists leader on five occasions, was a co-Rookie of the Year, and also an NBA champion.
Across 19 seasons, Kidd averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, while shooting 40 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from deep.
Feelings for Kidd may always be complicated — and that’s putting it kindly — for those in Milwaukee, but his place in the Hall of Fame is incredibly well-deserved and his playing career will be rightly remembered forever.