Jason Kidd’s NBA Future Set to Take A New Turn As ESPN Role Emerges

After five seasons as the Dallas Mavericks’ head coach, Jason Kidd appears poised to begin a new chapter, this time in the media. Earlier in May, new Mavericks president Masai Ujiri made the difficult decision to part ways with Kidd. Although the team initially described the move as mutual, Ujiri later clarified that the decision was his and that he wanted a clean slate in Dallas.

Having all that in mind, Kidd is currently a free-agent head coach in the NBA. Despite already being 53 years old, Kidd hasn't announced his intentions to retire yet. With that said, it appears that ESPN is interested in acquiring the former Mavs head coach. This time around, as part of their NBA studio coverage, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

"ESPN is in advanced talks to hire former Mavericks coach Jason Kidd to add him to their NBA studio coverage," Stein wrote on X. "Kidd was fired by the Mavericks in May after five seasons and two weeks after Masai Ujiri's hiring as president of basketball operations."

If the deal with ESPN pushes through, this'll be Kidd's first time becoming a member of a major media broadcast team. When Kidd retired as a professional basketball player in 2013, he immediately transitioned to head coaching the Brooklyn Nets in the 2013-14 season.

After 12 total seasons of coaching, both as a head coach and as an assistant coach, The New York Times reports that ESPN wants to bring Kidd on to provide his valuable perspective on analytics. Other sources also speculate that the former Mavs head coach could be joining Kendrick Perkins, Malika Andrews, and Brian Windhorst as an analyst on NBA Countdown.

For now, everything should be taken with a grain of salt. No official deal or offer has been made.

Jason Kidd Reflects on His NBA Career as a Point Guard

For 19 NBA seasons, Jason Kidd has established himself as one of the best point guards the league has ever seen. He's a one-time NBA champion, a ten-time NBA All-Star, has six All-NBA selections, and is also a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist.

While scoring usually wins the game, it's the point guards who are in charge of facilitating plays to make baskets happen. Having said that, Kidd opened up about his career in late August.

During an interview with Bilyonaryo News Channel when Kidd visited the Philippines, the former Dallas Mavericks head coach reflected on why his job as a point guard was too easy.

Kidd admitted that he was fortunate enough to be blessed with talented scorers throughout his career, which is why he became one of the best point guards in the league.

"Dirk Nowitzki is going to be one (of his favorite teammates)," Kidd said. "Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter in New Jersey (Nets), they both loved having the ball, so it made my job easier as a quarterback. When you talk about last year in New York (Knicks), (Carmelo Anthony), being able to give him the ball."

"I was very blessed to be able to play with a lot of great scorers," Kidd continued. "For me, my job was a little bit easier as a quarterback, giving the ball to those guys who like to score."

Kidd has proven himself both on the court as an NBA player and as a head coach. The question now is: will he be an efficient media member if his potential deal with ESPN pushes through?