The 1994 NBA Draft took place on June 29, 1994 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is notable for the fact that two NBA rookies of the year were picked in the first round, as Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were co-winners of the award for the 1994–95 NBA season. Jason Kidd and Grant Hill would end up as perennial All-Stars (10 and 7-time selections, respectively), though Grant Hill's career has been marred by severe injuries.

The first overall pick Glenn Robinson was involved in a contract holdout shortly after being selected, reportedly seeking an unprecedented 13 year, $100 million dollar contract. Both Robinson and the Milwaukee Bucks eventually agreed on a 10 year, $68 million dollar contract, which stands as the richest NBA contract signed by a rookie.^[1] A fixed salary cap for rookies was implemented by the NBA the following season. Robinson himself had a productive NBA career, becoming a two-time NBA All-Star and winning an NBA Championship in 2005 in his final year with the San Antonio Spurs.^[2]

Round one[link]

Jason Kidd, the 2nd pick of the Dallas Mavericks

Grant Hill, the 3rd pick of the Detroit Pistons

Donyell Marshall, the 4th pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves

Juwan Howard, the 5th pick of the Washington Bullets

Eddie Jones, the 10th pick of the Los Angeles Lakers

Jalen Rose, the 13th pick of the Denver Nuggets

Eric Piatkowski, the 15th pick of the Indiana Pacers

Pick	Player	Nationality	NBA Team	School/Club Team
1	Glenn Robinson+ (SF)	USA	Milwaukee Bucks	Purdue University (Jr.)
2	Jason Kidd* (PG)	USA	Dallas Mavericks	California So.
3	Grant Hill* (SF)	USA	Detroit Pistons	Duke Sr.
4	Donyell Marshall (SF)	USA	Minnesota Timberwolves	Connecticut Jr.
5	Juwan Howard* (PF)	USA	Washington Bullets	Michigan Jr.
6	Sharone Wright (PF/C)	USA	Philadelphia 76ers	Clemson Jr.
7	Lamond Murray (SF)	USA	Los Angeles Clippers	California Jr.
8	Brian Grant (PF)	USA	Sacramento Kings	Xavier Sr.
9	Eric Montross (C)	USA	Boston Celtics	North Carolina Sr.
10	Eddie Jones* (SG)	USA	Los Angeles Lakers	Temple Sr.
11	Carlos Rogers (SF)	USA	Seattle SuperSonics (from Charlotte)	Tennessee State Sr.
12	Khalid Reeves (PG)	USA	Miami Heat	Arizona Sr.
13	Jalen Rose (G/F)	USA	Denver Nuggets	Michigan Jr.
14	Yinka Dare (C)	Nigeria	New Jersey Nets	George Washington So.
15	Eric Piatkowski (SG)	USA	Indiana Pacers	Nebraska Sr.
16	Clifford Rozier (PF)	USA	Golden State Warriors (from Cleveland)	Louisville Jr.
17	Aaron McKie (SG)	USA	Portland Trail Blazers	Temple Sr.
18	Eric Mobley (PF)	USA	Milwaukee Bucks (from Orlando)	Pittsburgh Sr.
19	Tony Dumas (SG)	USA	Dallas Mavericks (from Golden State)	Missouri-Kansas City Sr.
20	B.J. Tyler (PG)	USA	Philadelphia 76ers (from Utah)	Texas Sr.
21	Dickey Simpkins (PF)	USA	Chicago Bulls	Providence Sr.
22	Bill Curley (PF)	USA	San Antonio Spurs	Boston College Sr.
23	Wesley Person (SG)	USA	Phoenix Suns	Auburn Sr.
24	Monty Williams (SF)	USA	New York Knicks	Notre Dame Sr.
25	Greg Minor (SG)	USA	Los Angeles Clippers (from Atlanta)	Louisville Sr.
26	Charlie Ward (PG)	USA	New York Knicks (from Houston via Atlanta)	Florida State Sr.
27	Brooks Thompson (PG)	USA	Orlando Magic (from Seattle via L.A. Clippers)	Oklahoma State Sr.

Round two[link]

Pick	Player	Nationality	NBA Team	School/Club Team
28	Deon Thomas (F/C)	USA	Dallas Mavericks	Illinois
29	Antonio Lang (F/G)	USA	Phoenix Suns	Duke
30	Howard Eisley (PG)	USA	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston College
31	Rodney Dent (F/C)	USA	Orlando Magic	Kentucky
32	Jim McIlvaine (C)	USA	Washington Bullets	Marquette
33	Derrick Alston (F)	USA	Philadelphia 76ers	Duquesne
34	Gaylon Nickerson (G)	USA	Atlanta Hawks (from L.A. Clippers)	NW Oklahoma State
35	Michael Smith (F)	USA	Sacramento Kings	Providence
36	Andrei Fetisov (F)	Russia	Boston Celtics	Forum Valladolid (Spain)
37	Dontonio Wingfield (F)	USA	Seattle SuperSonics (from L.A. Lakers)[3]	Cincinnati
38	Darrin Hancock (G/F)	USA	Charlotte Hornets	Kansas
39	Anthony Miller (F)	USA	Golden State Warriors (from Denver)	Michigan State
40	Jeff Webster (F)	USA	Miami Heat	Oklahoma
41	William Njoku (PF)	Ghana/ Canada	Indiana Pacers	St. Mary's (Canada)
42	Gary Collier (SF)	USA	Cleveland Cavaliers	Tulsa
43	Shawnelle Scott (C)	USA	Portland Trail Blazers	St. John's
44	Damon Bailey (G)	USA	Indiana Pacers	Indiana University
45	Dwayne Morton (F)	USA	Golden State Warriors	Louisville
46	Voshon Lenard (SG)	USA	Milwaukee Bucks (from Orlando)	Minnesota
47	Jamie Watson (F)	USA	Utah Jazz	South Carolina
48	Jevon Crudup (F/C)	USA	Detroit Pistons	Missouri
49	Kris Bruton (SF)	USA	Chicago Bulls	Benedict
50	Charles Claxton (C)	United States Virgin Islands	Phoenix Suns	Georgia
51	Lawrence Funderburke (PF)	USA	Sacramento Kings (from Atlanta)	Ohio State
52	Anthony Goldwire (PG)	USA	Phoenix Suns (from New York)	Houston
53	Albert Burditt (PF)	USA	Houston Rockets	Texas
54	Željko Rebrača (C)	Yugoslavia	Seattle SuperSonics	KK Partizan (Yugoslavia)

External links[link]

• 1994 NBA Draft

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association (NBA) can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted. College players who have finished their four-year college eligibility are automatically eligible for selection, while the underclassmen have to declare their eligibility and give up their remaining college eligibility. International players who are at least 22 years old are automatically eligible for selection, while the players younger than 22 have to declare their eligibility. Players who are not automatically eligible but have declared their eligibility are often called "early-entrants" or "early-entry candidates". The Draft usually takes place at the end of June, during the NBA off-season. The Draft consists of two rounds with a total of sixty players to be selected.

In the past, high school players were also eligible to be selected. However, starting in the 2006 Draft, high school players were not eligible to enter the draft directly after graduating high school. The rules now state that high school players will gain eligibility for draft selection one year after their high school graduation and they must also be at least 19 years old as of the end of the calendar year of the draft. Contrary to popular belief, they do not necessarily have to have at least one year of college basketball (as some players have chosen to use that year to play professionally in Europe for example).

NBA Draft Lottery[link]

The NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the NBA to determine the draft order. The teams who missed the playoffs in the previous season participate in a lottery process to determine the draft order. The lottery winner would get the first selection in the draft. In the current rules, 14 non-playoff teams participate in the Draft Lottery. The lottery is weighted so that the team with the worst record has the best chance of obtaining higher draft picks. The lottery process determines the first three picks of the draft. The rest of the first-round order of picks is in reverse order of the teams' win-loss record. The lottery does not determine the draft order in the second round of the draft. The term "lottery pick" denotes a draft pick whose position is determined through the lottery, while the non-playoff teams involved in the process are often called "lottery teams". The Draft Lottery system was first used in the 1985 Draft.

Draft selection process[link]

All players must be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year of the draft, and a player who completed basketball eligibility at an American high school must also be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class. Restrictions exist on players signing with sports agents and on declaring for, then withdrawing, from drafts—although most of them are enforced by the NCAA rather than the NBA.

In the early years of the draft, teams would select players until they ran out of prospects. The 1960 draft went 21 rounds. By 1974, it had stabilized to 10 rounds, which held up until 1985, when the draft was shortened to seven rounds. By agreement with the National Basketball Players Association, the drafts from 1989 onward have been limited to two rounds, which gives undrafted players the chance to try out for any team.^[1]

Globalization of the draft[link]

The NBA draft has been dominated by collegiate players since the draft was put in place in 1950. In more recent years high school seniors have also had a large impact on the draft. These include players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Amar'e Stoudemire. However, because of the new age requirement put in place in 2005, high school seniors are no longer eligible for the draft. During the same stretch that high school players were making a large impact on the draft, another group of players started to make their presence felt in the draft.

Selecting foreign players[link]

Foreign players have made a large impact on how teams are now drafting. When the draft began, foreign players were not selected. As the years progressed, things began to change and a few international players were selected. The first foreign player, in the sense of being a national of a country other than the U.S., to be chosen first overall in the draft was Bahamian Mychal Thompson in 1978. However, Thompson's selection was not a true harbinger of the game's globalization, as he had spent much of his childhood in Florida, and had played college basketball at Minnesota. One of the first foreign players selected in the draft to play in the NBA was Manute Bol out of the Sudan in 1983 in the 5th round by the San Diego Clippers. Bol's selection was later deemed ineligible by the NBA. Two years later Bol was drafted again by the NBA this time out of Division II University of Bridgeport in 1985 as the 31st pick overall in the second round. Although Bol did not have a stellar career, he is known for being one of the tallest players ever to play the game at 7 feet and 7 inches. He holds the record for being the tallest player ever to hit a 3 point field goal. The following two years saw two players born outside the U.S. selected first overall—Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984 and Jamaica-born American Patrick Ewing in 1985. However, like Thompson before them, both had played U.S. college basketball—Olajuwon at Houston and Ewing at Georgetown—and Ewing had also played high school basketball in the U.S.

By the 1997 Draft, the number of foreign players being drafted dramatically increased. The top pick in that draft, Tim Duncan, became the third international player picked number 1 overall—although his designation as "international" is a matter of semantics, as he is a native of the United States Virgin Islands and, like all USVI natives, is a U.S. citizen by birth. He also had played U.S. college basketball at Wake Forest. Including Duncan, 12 international players were selected in the two rounds of the draft—although half of them, including Duncan and the next two such players picked, had played college basketball. The 1998 draft saw another foreign player picked first overall, Nigerian Michael Olowokandi, but like Duncan he had played college basketball, in his case at Pacific. In 2001 the highest drafted foreign player, Pau Gasol, was selected 3rd overall by the Atlanta Hawks. That would all change the following season when Yao Ming became the first foreign player without U.S. college experience to be selected number 1 overall. Not only was the first overall pick an international player, but five more picks in the first round alone were also from overseas. In total, the 2002 draft produced 17 international players, with only three of them (all second-round picks) having U.S. college experience.

International players selected number 1 overall[link]

As noted earlier, four international players had gone first overall before 2002, although all had played college basketball in the U.S., and one of them was in fact a U.S. citizen by birth. It was not until 2002 that an international player without college experience went first overall—Yao Ming. His selection was not only a watershed moment for the NBA, it also had a large impact in Yao's homeland of China. Hannah Beech (2003) writes "Yao has single-handedly transformed his countrymen from nameless, faceless millions into mighty men who can jam with the very best." ^[2] Yao has helped the NBA grow into a worldwide product. Beech (2003) goes on to write "Ratings for NBA games broadcast on Chinese TV have never been higher than this year as the nation keeps track of its new favorite team, Yao's Houston Rockets." ^[2] For his career Yao is averaging a solid 19.0 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game, 1.89 blocks per game, and is shooting 82.6 percent from the free throw line.

2001 Draft[link]

From the 2001 draft to the 2006 Draft there were a total of 6 foreign players selected. This trend shows how NBA teams are expanding the way they are selecting players in the draft. Players like Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Tony Parker, Nenê and Luol Deng are changing the landscape of the NBA to include a wide array of players from all over the globe.

2002, 2005 and 2006 Drafts[link]

The 2002, 2005 and 2006 Drafts saw international players picked first overall. In 2002 the Houston Rockets selected Yao Ming from China first in the draft. Also in 2005, the Milwaukee Bucks picked Andrew Bogut, from Australia by way of the University of Utah, #1. The next year, the Toronto Raptors made Andrea Bargnani the second foreign player without U.S. college experience to be selected number 1 overall.

Other notable past NBA drafts[link]

Some of the most noted NBA draft years are 1984, 1996, and 2003. Each of those is often referred to as one of, if not the, best NBA Draft ever, though the 2003 Draft was too recent to accurately compare. The 2000 NBA Draft has been regarded as the worst in history, with Sports Illustrated calling its first round "a horrible group of players."^[3] The 1986 Draft was notable for the number of solid and even outstanding players selected in later rounds, partly because of drug problems that claimed the life of second overall pick Len Bias and affected the careers of several other first-round picks.^[4][5]

See also[link]

• Draft bust
• Expansion draft
• Haywood v. National Basketball Association
• Mock draft
• NBA Draft Lottery
• NBA first overall draft pick
• NBA territorial pick
• WNBA Draft

References[link]

General

Specific

External links[link]

• NBA.com: NBA Draft History
• Basketball-Reference.com: NBA Draft Index.
• TheDraftReview.com: NBA Draft Index

Jason Kidd

Kidd with the Mavericks
No. 2 – Dallas Mavericks
Guard
Personal information
Born	(1973-03-23) March 23, 1973 (age 39) San Francisco, California
Nationality	American
High school	St. Joseph Notre Dame
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College	California (1992–1994)
NBA Draft	1994 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Pro career	1994–present
League	NBA
Career history
1994–1996	Dallas Mavericks
1996–2001	Phoenix Suns
2001–2008	New Jersey Nets
2008–present	Dallas Mavericks
Career highlights and awards
NBA Champion (2011) NBA co-Rookie of the Year (1995) 10× NBA All-Star (1996, 1998, 2000–2004, 2007–2008, 2010) 5× All-NBA First Team (1999–2002, 2004) All-NBA Second Team (2003) 4× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1999, 2001–2002, 2006) 5× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2000, 2003–2005, 2007) 5× NBA assists leader (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1995) Skills Challenge Champion (2003) NBA Sportsmanship Award (2012) Naismith Prep Player of the Year (1992)

Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft. Then, from 1996 to 2001, Kidd played for the Phoenix Suns and later for the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008. In the middle of the 2007–2008 season, Kidd was traded back to Dallas. Along with his three NBA Finals appearances including a championship win in 2011, Kidd won two Olympic gold medals with the US national team in 2000 and 2008.

He led his former team, the New Jersey Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances (2002 and 2003) before winning in 2011 with Dallas. His on-court versatility also makes him a regular triple-double threat, and he is in third place all-time for regular season triple-doubles in the NBA with a career total of 107^[1] and second in playoffs triple-doubles with a career total of 11.^[2]

Early life[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2008)

Kidd was born in San Francisco, California and raised in an upper middle class section of Oakland, California. His father Steve was African-American, and his mother Anne is Irish-American. The oldest of 6 children, Kidd attended St. Paschal Baylon school in the Oakland Hills. As a youth, Kidd was highly scouted for AAU teams and tourneys, garnering various all-star and MVP awards. He frequented the city courts of Oakland, where he often found himself pitted against future NBA All-Star Gary Payton. The two still reminisce about the playing days of their youth. During his youth, Kidd also excelled at soccer, baseball as well as other sports.

At St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California, under the guidance of coach Frank LaPorte, Kidd led the Pilots to back-to-back state championships, averaging 25 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 7 steals his senior season. During that year, he also received a host of individual honors, including the Naismith Award as the nation's top high school player, and was named Player of the Year by PARADE and USA Today. The all-time prep leader in assists (1,155) and the state's seventh-best career scorer (2,661 points), Kidd was voted California Player of the Year for the second time and also a McDonald's All-American. On January 31, 2012, Kidd was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All Americans.^[3]

After a highly publicized recruiting process, Kidd shocked many fans and pundits alike by choosing to attend the nearby University of California, Berkeley—a school that was coming off a 10–18 season and hadn't won a conference title since 1960—over a number of top-ranked collegiate programs including the University of Arizona, the University of Kentucky, the University of Kansas, and The Ohio State University.

College[link]

During his first year at California, Kidd averaged 13.0 points, 7.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.8 steals per game which earned him national Freshman of the Year honors and a spot on the All Pac-10 Team along with teammate and fellow freshman Danny Anderson, making them the fifth and sixth newcomer in conference history to do so. His 110 steals broke both the NCAA record for most steals by a freshman and set a school record for most steals in a season, while his 220 assists that season also was a school record. His play also was a key factor in the resurgence of Cal Basketball and helped The Golden Bears earn an NCAA Tournament bid, where they upset two-time defending national champion Duke in the second round of that tournament before losing to Kansas in the Sweet 16.

Kidd continued his success as a sophomore, tallying averages of 16.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 9.1 assists, breaking his previous school record for most assists in a season with 272, while also leading the nation in that category. He was also selected a First Team All-American, the first Cal player to be so named since 1968, as well as Pac-10 Player of the Year, becoming the first sophomore to receive that honor. The Golden Bears would make the NCAA Tournament again as a 5 seed, but would be upset in the first round by Dick Bennett's twelve-seeded Wisconsin–Green Bay team 61–57. Kidd was also named a finalist for both the Naismith and Wooden Awards as college basketball's top player and subsequently opted to enter the NBA Draft in 1994. In 2004, Cal retired Kidd's number 5 jersey.

NBA career[link]

Dallas Mavericks (1994–1996)[link]

Kidd was selected as the second pick overall by the Dallas Mavericks, behind Glenn Robinson of Purdue, and just ahead of Duke's versatile swingman Grant Hill. In his first year he averaged 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and led the NBA in triple doubles, sharing 1995 NBA Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons.^[4] The year before the Mavericks drafted Jason Kidd, they ended a season with the worst record in the NBA at 13–69. After Kidd's first season with the Mavericks, their record improved to 36–46 which was the best improvement in the NBA that season. Kidd also was voted in as a starter in the 1996 All-Star Game. In his first two years with the Mavericks, the move most people associated him with is "the Baseball pass". Kidd was a member of the "Three J's" in Dallas along with Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn. However, that plan did not come to fruition, as all three found themselves playing for other teams shortly thereafter.

Phoenix Suns (1996–2001)[link]

Kidd was traded to the Phoenix Suns with Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer for Michael Finley, A. C. Green, and Sam Cassell during the 1996–97 season. Kidd made the All-Star Game three times (1998, 2000, & 2001) with the Suns. In 2001, after five seasons in Phoenix in which the team made the playoffs each year under Kidd, he was traded, along with Chris Dudley, to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman, and Soumaila Samake.

New Jersey (2001–2008)[link]

Kidd shooting a free throw when he was a Net.

The 2001–02 season saw Kidd lead the Nets to a surprising 52–30 finish, and marked one of his best all-around seasons as he finished second to the Spurs' Tim Duncan in MVP voting. Many have argued that Kidd deserved to win the award because of his impact in New Jersey—transforming the Nets from perennial league doormats into championship contenders seemingly in the space of a single training camp. His contribution to the Nets during his first season in New Jersey was huge, and resulted in one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history. He was also fortunate to join the team when he did, as the team reaped the benefits of the newly healthy Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles and Keith Van Horn; along with the trading of Eddie Griffin for Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins, and Brandon Armstrong.

Under Kidd's guidance, the young Nets team prospered through the playoffs and ended up advancing all the way to the Eastern Conference title and the franchise's first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals. However, New Jersey's season would end without an improbable NBA crown, as Kidd and the Nets were swept in four games by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers. New Jersey enjoyed another stellar season under the helm of Kidd's leadership in the 2002–03 NBA season, during which the team finished 49–33 and reached the NBA Finals once again, only to succumb to Tim Duncan's San Antonio Spurs in six games. He had his highest scoring season with 18.7 points per game^[5] and led the league in assists with 8.9 per game.^[6]

On July 1, 2004, Kidd underwent microfracture surgery to repair a damaged knee. He made a full recovery and returned to the court in December of that year, during which the Nets acquired star swingman Vince Carter from the Toronto Raptors. With the Nets hanging on the prospect of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and with Jefferson injured, Carter and Kidd combined to fuel the team to a late regular-season surge that enabled them to inch past the Cleveland Cavaliers for the eighth and final playoff berth in the East. However, their season would come to an end early as they fell in four games to top-seeded Miami in the first round.

In 2005–06, Kidd averaged 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.4 assists (5th in the league). On February 1, 2007, Kidd was named a reserve for the NBA All-Star game along with teammate Vince Carter. However, Kidd missed the game because of a strained back and was replaced on the roster by Joe Johnson.^[7]

On April 7, 2007, Kidd and Carter became the first teammates to record triple-doubles in the same game since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did it in 1989 for the Chicago Bulls. Kidd finished with 10 points, 16 rebounds, and 18 assists. In the 2006–07 postseason, Kidd notched his 10th postseason career triple-double on April 27, 2007 in Game 3 against the Toronto Raptors. He recorded 16 points on 50% field goal shooting, a playoff career high 19 assists, 16 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block, as the Nets defeated the Raptors 102–89.^[8] He tied Larry Bird for second All-time in career postseason triple-doubles.^[9] In the first round of the postseason, Kidd averaged 14.0 points, 13.2 assists, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals, as the Nets defeated the Raptors in six games. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double in multiple playoff series.^[10] In Game 3 of the second round in the 2006–07 playoffs, Kidd recorded his 11th postseason triple-double with 23 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds, breaking the tie with Larry Bird for second place on the All-Time career list.^[2] For the postseason, Kidd averaged 14.6 points, 10.9 assists and 10.9 rebounds in twelve playoff games.^[11] He became the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire postseason.^[12]

In the 2007–08 NBA season, Kidd became the third player to get a triple-double in three straight games since 1989. He did so after he logged his 97th career triple-double in a 115-99 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.^[13] Kidd was voted by the fans to start in the 2008 All-Star game in New Orleans as a guard along with Dwyane Wade.

After that season Kidd had been mentioned in trade rumors, notably to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the deal fell through when the Lakers refused to give up their young center Andrew Bynum. On January 28, 2008, Kidd revealed that his agent had been talking to the Nets' front office about a trade. On February 19, 2008, Kidd was traded^[14] to the Dallas Mavericks, the team that originally drafted him.

Return to Dallas (2008–present)[link]

Kidd drives to the basket during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On February 13, 2008, the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets reached an agreement on a trade to send Kidd and Malik Allen to Dallas for Devin Harris, Devean George, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, two first-round drafts picks (in 2008 and 2010), and $3 million, but the trade fell through when George invoked his (Early) Bird rights, as was stipulated in his contract at the time.^[15][16] The trade was retooled, with Trenton Hassell replacing George, and Keith Van Horn, who had agreed to come out of retirement, replacing Stackhouse, because NBA officials informed the Mavericks that if Stackhouse were to be included in the deal, he could not re-sign with the team if the Nets chose to buy out his contract.^{[citation needed]} Antoine Wright was also added to the retooled trade proposal (the two teams originally agreed on a separate deal that would send Wright to the Mavericks for a 2008 second-round pick, but were ultimately able include him in the Kidd deal).^[17] On February 19, 2008, Kidd was officially traded to the Mavericks along with Allen and Wright for Van Horn (via a sign and trade deal), Harris, Diop, Hassell, Ager, $3 million, Ryan Anderson (the future 2008 first round pick), and the 2010 first round pick.^[18][19]

On July 5, 2009 Kidd verbally committed to re-signing with the Mavericks after being pursued heavily by the New York Knicks. The three-year deal is reportedly worth more than $25 million, all of it fully guaranteed.^[20]

On Halloween of 2010 against the Clippers, Kidd sank a 75 foot shot at the halftime buzzer.

On November 12, 2010, Kidd dished out his 11,000th career assist, an alley-oop dunk to teammate Tyson Chandler.

Jason Kidd won the NBA Championship with the Dallas Mavericks on June 12, 2011. It was the first championship in his career.

On February 20, 2012, Kidd collected his 2,515th career steal (passing Michael Jordan) making him second all-time in steals.

Milestones[link]

On April 16, 2008, Kidd reached a new career milestone, achieving his 100th career triple-double in the final regular-season game with the Dallas Mavericks that year against the New Orleans Hornets. In the 2008–09 season, Kidd became just the fourth player in NBA history to reach the 10,000 assist milestone and is now the only player in NBA history with 15,000 points, 10,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds. On April 5, 2009, Kidd passed Magic Johnson at third on the all-time assist list in a convincing 140–116 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Kidd scored 19 points with 6–8 shooting and a season high 20 assists, giving him a total of 10,142 career assists. On November 26, 2009, Kidd moved into 2nd place on the all-time assists list in a win against the Houston Rockets, surpassing Mark Jackson on the list. Kidd currently holds the record for most games played amongst active players. On February 20, 2012, Kidd passed Michael Jordan on the all-time steals list to become number 2 behind John Stockton.^[21]

USA Basketball[link]

Jason Kidd's first participation in USA basketball came after his first season at Berkeley. He was the only freshman chosen to take part in Team USA's 10-member team. The team played five games in Europe and finished with a record of 3–2. Kidd tied for team highs in assists per game with 4.0, and steals per game with 1.4. He also had averages of 8.4 points per game, and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Kidd's next stint with USA basketball came in 1999 where he participated in the USA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The team finished with an undefeated record of 10–0 resulting in a gold medal and earning a berth at the 2000 Olympics. Kidd averaged 7.4 PPG, 6.8 APG, 4.4 RPG, 2.7 SPG and again led the team in APG and SPG.

In 2000, Kidd was appointed as one of Team USA's tri-captains for the 2000 Olympics at Sydney. Kidd again led the team to an undefeated record of 8–0 which resulted in team USA winning the gold medal at the Olympic games. Kidd had averages of 6.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and had team highs of 4.4 apg, and 1.1 spg. Kidd also had a FG% of 51.6 and shot 50% from 3-point range.

In November 2002, Kidd was selected to participate in the 2002 USA Basketball Men's World Championship Team. However, he had to withdraw from the team due to an injury.

Kidd came back the next year and participated at the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico. Kidd again led the team to a record of 10–0, bringing home the gold medal and a berth at the 2004 Olympics. Kidd started all 10 games and had averages of 3.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5.9 apg, and 1.2 spg.

However, Jason Kidd again had to withdraw from the 2004 Olympic team due to another injury.

In 2007, Kidd participated in the FIBA Americas Championship 2007. Kidd helped the team to a 10–0 record where he brought home another gold medal and a berth at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Kidd had averages of 1.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.6 apg, and 1.3 spg. He also shot 60% from the field and 62.5% from 3-point distance. Kidd led the entire tournament with assist-to-turnover ratio of 9.20. With Kidd's help team USA averaged 116.7 ppg, and defeated their opponents by a margin of 39.5 ppg.

In 2008, Kidd participated in the 2008 Olympics where the team yet again went undefeated in winning their first gold medal since the 2000 Olympics.^[22] The team, given the "Redeem team" moniker because of failures in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and 2004 Summer Olympics, were once again crowned to be the best team in world basketball.

Jason Kidd has an impressive resume in USA basketball. In his professional career, he has an undefeated record of 56–0 including exhibition games. He has brought home five gold medals: three from Olympic qualifying tournaments, one from the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and one from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.^[23]

Personal life[link]

In January 2001, Jason Kidd was arrested and pleaded guilty to a domestic abuse charge for assaulting his wife Joumana in anger. As part of his plea, Kidd was ordered to attend anger management classes for six months. Kidd completed the mandatory counseling and continued to attend on his own, and it was reported that Kidd had given up alcohol. He and his wife were both active in their church and were thought to have completely reconciled. On January 9, 2007, Jason Kidd filed for divorce against his wife, citing "extreme cruelty" during their relationship. Kidd contended intense jealousy, paranoia, and the threat of "false domestic abuse claims" to the police as reasons for the divorce. On February 15, 2007 Joumana Kidd filed a counterclaim for divorce,^[24] claiming that the NBA star—among countless instances of abuse—"broke her rib and damaged her hearing by smashing her head into the console of a car". The couple have three children (Trey Jason (T.J.), and twins Miah and Jazelle).^[25]

On September 10, 2011, Kidd married Porschla Coleman.^[26] Porschla is a former model and has taken over the reins of the Jason Kidd Foundation.^[27]

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]