DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The Dallas Mavericks named Jason Kidd the franchise’s 10th head coach and named Nico Harrison as the team’s general manager on Monday, June 28.
Kidd, who was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018, begins his third stint in Dallas after spending eight of his 19 seasons as a player with the team and helping the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title, the team said in a news release.
Then-Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd before game vs Houston Rockets at Staples Center. Los Angeles, CA 2/6/2020
CREDIT: John W. McDonough (Photo by John W. McDonough /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
Kidd joins the Mavericks after most recently serving two seasons as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was part of the franchise’s 2020 NBA championship season.
“We are excited to welcome J-Kidd and his family back to Dallas,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. “He possesses a winning mentality that carried him through a Hall of Fame career as a player and has helped him successfully transition to the NBA’s coaching ranks. We are eager for him to get to work and lead our franchise and talented young players into the future.”
Kidd’s coaching career began in 2013 when he helmed the Brooklyn Nets for one season.
He is the third person since the NBA-ABA merger (1976) to become a head coach in the season after he retired as a player. As a rookie head coach, Kidd earned a pair of Eastern Conference Coach of the Month awards (January and March), leading the Nets to 44-38 record and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
“Dallas has meant so much to me as a player and I want to thank Mark Cuban for the opportunity to return as a head coach,” Kidd said. “I am excited to get to work with this young, hungry and incredibly talented team and to continue to build a winning legacy for the Mavericks organization.”
Kidd was drafted second overall by the Mavericks in 1994 NBA Draft and spent two-and-a-half seasons in Dallas before being traded to Phoenix during the 1996-97 campaign. He shared Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill after averaging 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists in his first season.
Kidd returned to Dallas from New Jersey in an eight-player trade in February 2008.
Following the trade, Kidd teamed up with former Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki and together they led the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title, defeating Miami 4-2 to bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy to DFW.
Nico Harrison joins the Mavericks after spending the last 19 years at Nike, where he most recently held the title of vice president of North America basketball operations.
Nico Harrison (credit: Dallas Mavericks)
In his role, Harrison supervised Nike’s basketball brand managers and worked closely with many of the brand’s star players, including Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, the Mavericks said in a news release.
“We are very excited to bring Nico Harrison to Dallas and have him join our organization,” said Mark Cuban. “Nico brings a wealth of basketball knowledge along with both executive and leadership skills. He has proven to have a unique eye for talent on and off the court. I’m looking forward to watching Nico lead the Mavs to new heights.”
“It’s a true honor to be the general manager of the Mavericks; an iconic franchise with a rich history not only within the NBA, but across sports,” said Harrison. “I’m grateful for this rare opportunity and want to thank Mark and the rest of the organization for putting their trust in me to move the team to the next level.”
Before joining Nike in 2002, Harrison played professional basketball in Belgium for over seven years.
Harrison spent his final three college seasons at Montana State University after transferring from Army West Point. He was a three-time, first team All-Big Sky selection and eclipsed 1,000 points in his three years at MSU. As a senior in 1995-96, Harrison led the Bobcats to a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Spokane, Washington, native was also named an Academic All-American and a two-time winner of the Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar-Athlete Award during his career at MSU.
He was inducted into the Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.
