Jason Kidd is apparently on a hiatus rather than a retirement.
The former Dallas Mavericks head coach Kidd visited the Philippines this week and was interviewed by Rappler’s Delfin Dioquino. During the interview, Kidd spoke out on his plans for the future and revealed if he plans to coach in the NBA again (spoiler alert: yes he does).
“Yeah, I think I love coaching,” said Kidd. “I love to watch players get better. I want to win. I want to help the team win. And so I would never say no to coaching. Maybe somewhere down the future, but also right now I’m just at home really trying to enjoy my family.
“And then also just watching the game and seeing if I can help others still from the coaching side,” Kidd added. “I’m always talking to [his former players] Jalen Brunson and Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. So just trying to help others now that I’m not coaching.”
At 53 years old, the Basketball Hall of Famer Kidd has 10 total seasons of experience as an NBA head coach, going 388-395 (.496) overall. He has made two conference finals appearances and one NBA Finals appearance as a head coach (all with the Dallas Mavericks) and also won a championship as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
But earlier this offseason, the Mavericks decided to fired Kidd after five seasons in charge, thereby launching a hard rebuild based around 19-year-old Cooper Flagg and new head coach Dusty May, previously of the University of Michigan. Kidd can certainly afford to take some time off from coaching, but it sounds like the itch will come back for him before long (as he was linked to some intriguing NBA jobs in recent months).
