Jason Kidd has perfected the art of the steal.

Only two men in NBA history have stolen the basketball more times than J-Kidd. With 38 steals in his next season, J-Kidd can cut that list in half. But no matter when, where or if that happens, Jason’s legacy as one of the game’s best ball thieves has already been cemented.

Over his 17-year career, Jason has averaged 1.96 steals per game. He has recorded at least 100 steals in each year of his career, including a league-leading 175 thefts during his first season in New Jersey in 2001-2002. He ranks first among active players in steals and steals per game. Jason has also finished in the top 5 in the NBA in both steals and steals per game in eight different seasons.

Over the course of the next week on JasonKidd.com and Jason’s Facebook page, we’ll be highlighting what makes Jason one of the NBA’s greatest at taking the ball away.

According to Jason, being a good player without the ball in your hand comes down to building the foundation of your game on anticipation. Watch the video below to see No. 2 describe his sixth sense of anticipation.

One of the most important steals of Jason’s career came in Game 1 of this season’s Western Conference Semifinals. The Mavericks were leading the Los Angeles Lakers, 95-94, with less than 10 seconds left and Jason was shadowing Kobe Bryant on a trip around the court.

But when Pau Gasol went to drop the ball off for Kobe, J-Kidd hedged the screen, knocking the ball free. Once he regained his balance, Jason grabbed the loose ball, helping to secure a Mavericks win. Dallas went on to take the momentum from that Game 1 win over the defending champs to sweep the Lakers in the semifinals and eventually capture the NBA championship. Watch the clip below to see the big steal.

"He’s one of the few guys that can put together some individual defensive possessions like that," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of his point guard. "Down the stretch, he’s as knowledgeable and as experienced as anybody who has ever played."

But Jason’s steals can do more than just slow down an opposing offense, they also create fastbreak opportunities for the Dallas offense. And the Mavs are always at their best when J-Kidd is using his superior vision to create buckets for his teammates, like so:

When it comes to steals, J-Kidd is one of the NBA’s all-time elite and 17 years in, No. 2 continues to amaze.