Milwaukee Bucks formally introduce Jason Kidd as the franchise’s 14th head coach

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Milwaukee Bucks  formally introduced Jason Kidd as the franchise’s 14th head coach Wednesday, July 2nd at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

The Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, July 1st named Jason Kidd as the team’s new head coach. The Bucks signed Kidd after the Brooklyn Nets agreed to release him from his contract in exchange for two second round picks in the 2015 and 2019 NBA Drafts.

Kidd will be the 14th head coach in the history of the Bucks franchise.

He joins Milwaukee following a 19-year Hall-of-Fame-caliber NBA playing career and, most recently, serving as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

“When you list the characteristics that make a successful head coach, you would include leadership, communication and a competitive drive,” said Hammond. “Jason used all of those traits to become a 10-time All-Star player in the NBA, and has now translated his on-court success to the bench. We welcome him to the Bucks organization and look forward to building a Championship-caliber team with him as our head coach.”

“Jason is a determined leader, a tough-minded competitor and a great teammate,” said Bucks owners Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry. “We believe his focus, vision and intensity will help him work alongside John and David (Morway) to rebuild the Milwaukee Bucks as we aspire to achieve excellence over the next several years. We are excited that Jason will call Milwaukee his new home.”

Kidd, 41, most recently served as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets where he guided the team to a 44-38 record, earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, and was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month twice.

The Nets upset the three-seed Toronto Raptors in seven games in the First Round before falling to the Miami Heat in the Second Round.

Before becoming a head coach, Kidd enjoyed an exceptional 19-year NBA playing career, which included 10 All-Star Game appearances and an NBA Championship in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. He was named to the All-NBA First Team five times, All-NBA Second Team once, to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team four times and All-Defensive Second Team five times. Kidd also won gold medals with Team USA in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

When Kidd retired in 2013, he ranked second all-time in NBA assists and steals behind John Stockton. His 107 triple-doubles are third all-time behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. He also ranks third on the League’s all-time lists in minutes and 3-point field goals, sixth in games played, first among guards in rebounds and 71st in points scored.

He joined Grant Hill as one of two players in the NBA to win the Joe Dumars Trophy – given to the winner of the annual NBA Sportsmanship Award – multiple times. Kidd received the honor following the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.

The second overall pick of the Dallas Mavericks in the 1994 NBA Draft, Kidd shared Co-Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill. He played in 1,391 regular season games with Dallas, Phoenix, New Jersey and New York.

His teams qualified for the postseason 17 times, and he played in 158 playoff games, including three trips to the NBA Finals (2002, 2003 – New Jersey; 2011 – Dallas).

Born March 23, 1973, in San Francisco, Kidd played two seasons at the University of California, where he averaged 14.9 points, 8.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds, and was a Consensus All-America selection in 1994.