According to USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, chemistry is key to producing a winner, and there’s no better chemist than a veteran like Jason.
As he told the Charlotte Observer:
“One thing about leadership is you have to have the respect of everyone you’re leading…Jason had that right away.”
The story went on to detail J-Kidd’s incredible success at the international level, which to date, has him with a 44-0 career record.
Kidd was in college at California when the Dream Team slashed and burned through Barcelona, Spain, to win Olympic gold in 1992. He first played for the United States on a junior team in 1993.
Since then, he has helped the senior team qualify for the 2000 Olympics in 1999, the 2004 Games in 2003 and 2008 in 2007.
Things look to be similar come Beijing if the present is any indication of the future.
Last summer, Kidd joined Kobe Bryant and James to win the 2007 FIBA Americas tournament as the United States qualified for Beijing.
“People talked about having Kobe and LeBron but you couldn’t miss the calming effect (Kidd) had on that team,” said former NBA All-Star Mark Jackson.
The effort earned the Americans premature and inaccurate comparisons to the original Dream Team, but Kidd’s game was the right adhesive in Las Vegas this month during team training.
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This Kidd has plenty of influence (Charlotte Observer, July 13, 2008)
http://www.charlotte.com/300/story/711288.html