Jason Kidd was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Now, he may have to make a return trip to Springfield, Mass., for another induction. Kidd is in position to join rare and elite company if he coaches the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA title. They open play against the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Finals.
A Mavericks championship would make Kidd, who was drafted by them in 1994, just the fifth player to earn a title with the same team as a player and coach. In 2011, Kidd helped the Mavs upset a Miami Heat team that featured LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
The others to accomplish the feat are Billy Cunningham (Philadelphia 76ers), Pat Riley (Los Angeles Lakers), K.C. Jones (Boston Celtics) and Bill Russell (Boston Celtics). Kidd has a record of 323-296 in eight seasons, including 30-29 in the playoffs.
After stops with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, he’s had the most success with the Mavericks. This was his second 50-win season, including 52 when they lost to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals. With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Mavs have every opportunity to knock off the Celtics. It won’t be easy because the Celtics won a league-high 64 games behind the three-headed tandem of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis.
It doesn’t help the Celtics are well-rested after cruising through the Eastern Conference. They lost just two games in the first three rounds. Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
