Nets coach honoured by gesture from franchise.
The Brooklyn Nets are set to retire the No.5 jersey worn by new coach Jason Kidd ahead of the pre-season game against the Miami Heat on October 17.
Kidd was hired as the franchise’s new coach back in June, and is currently preparing for training camp as he looks ahead to welcoming the likes of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to the city.
The Nets will take on the defending champions Miami at the Barclays Center in October, and the front office have decided to use the event as a stage to celebrate Kidd’s contribution to the franchise as a player.
Kidd spent just over six seasons with the New Jersey Nets, and averaged 14.6 points, 9.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds as he helped lead the franchise to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.
He currently holds the franchise’s NBA records for assists (4,620), steals (950), 3-point field goals made (813) and triple-doubles (61) but will now be hoping to replicate that success at a coaching level in the year ahead.
“This is a very humbling honour and one that I will always cherish,” Kidd said in a statement as reported by ESPN.
“There can be no greater recognition of an athlete’s time with any team than to have his number retired, and this gesture by the Nets organization validates a very significant portion of my career that was spent as a player with this franchise,” he concluded.
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and general manager Billy King both paid tribute to Kidd as a player, and will be eager to now see how successful he is in the transition to the coaching.
It is understood that the 40-year-old will also be buying a portion of Jay-Z’s minority share of the team as he returns to the Nets after a short stint with city rivals the New York Knicks last season.
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