Once again, Jason Kidd has found his way back to Dallas.

Just a few weeks removed from the 10th anniversary of his final triumphant chapter with the Mavericks, and almost 27 years to the day Dallas drafted him, Jason Kidd was named on Monday as the 10th head coach in franchise history.

“Dallas has meant so much to me as a player and I want to thank Mark Cuban for the opportunity to return as a head coach,” Kidd said. “I am excited to get to work with this young, hungry and incredibly talented team and to continue to build a winning legacy for the Mavericks organization.”

As he re-joins the Mavs, J-Kidd will be embarking on his third stint as an NBA head coach. He previously led the Brooklyn Nets to a playoff berth during the 2013-14 season, then joined the Milwaukee Bucks and coached them to a pair of playoff appearances from 2014-2018.

Most recently Jason spent two years as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers under head coach Frank Vogel and won his second NBA championship during the 2019-20 season. On his way to Dallas, Jason noted how grateful he was for his time spent in Los Angeles.

Jason also received a farewell from LeBron James, who he worked with during the last two seasons.

https://twitter.com/RealJasonKidd/status/1409612618537521155

 

Jason’s relationship with the Mavericks franchise dates back to his first taste of the NBA, when the Mavericks selected him with the second pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. Jason spent two-and-a-half season in Dallas and was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1996. More than a decade later, he returned to the Mavericks in 2008, spending five more seasons with the team including the 2010-11 season that saw the Mavericks win their first-ever NBA Championship.

Jason received plenty of support from many former colleagues that had a say in the hiring process, including former teammate and Mavs legend Dirk Nowitski, who advised team owner Mark Cuban during their search for a new head coach. He also received an endorsement from former Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle, who left the position to coach the Indiana Pacers, and who coached Dallas during Jason’s second stint with the Mavs.

“My hope is that Jason Kidd will be the next coach of the Mavs because he and Luka [Doncic] have so many things in common as players,” Carlisle said. “I just think that it would be a great situation for Luka, and I think it would be an amazing situation for Jason. I’m the only person on the planet that’s coached both of those guys and that knows about all of their special qualities as basketball players. To me, that just would be a great marriage, but that’s just an opinion.”

Jason will be tasked with unlocking the potential of a Mavericks team that has lost in the first round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons. He’ll also be working with point guard Luka Doncic, who has become one of the most promising young stars in the NBA in his first three seasons. It’s a challenge Jason feels he is more than ready for.