Athletes - Jason Kidd

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	Athletes - Jason Kidd

Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973 in Oakland, California) is currently the starting point guard for the New Jersey Nets of the NBA. He led the Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances (2002 and 2003) and is considered one of the best players of his generation as well as one of the greatest playmakers in NBA history. His on-court versatility also makes him a regular triple-double threat, and he is fourth all-time for triple-doubles in the NBA with a career total of 73 (as of March 13, 2006).

NBA career

Kidd was born in Oakland, California, the oldest of three children of Steve and Anne Kidd. He was raised in the Oakland Hills, an upper middle class section of Oakland, just outside San Francisco, California. During his youth Jason excelled in soccer as well as other sports. His father was African-American and his mother Irish Catholic. After graduating from St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California, Kidd attended the University of California, Berkeley for two years before opting to enter the NBA Draft in 1994. He was selected as the second pick overall by the Dallas Mavericks, behind Glenn Robinson of Purdue; that year he shared NBA Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons who was the third pick in the draft. He was a member of the "Three J's" in Dallas along with Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn, and it was hoped that the trio would lead Dallas for years to come; however, that plan was not to come to fruition, as all three found themselves playing for other teams shortly thereafter. Kidd was subsequently traded to the Phoenix Suns along with Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer for Michael Finley, A.C. Green, and Sam Cassell during the 1996-1997 season and later to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury.

The 2001-02 season saw Kidd finish second to the Spurs' Tim Duncan in MVP voting. Many have argued that Kidd deserved to win the award because of his impact in New Jersey—transforming the Nets from perennial doormats into championship contenders seemingly in the space of a single training camp. His contribution to the Nets during his first season in New Jersey was huge, and resulted in one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history. He was also fortunate to join the team when he did, as the team reaped the benefits of the newly healthy Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles, and the trading of Eddie Griffin for Richard Jefferson and Jason Collins.

During high school Kidd was known to be referred to as "Ason Kidd" as his J (jump shot) tended to be weakly honed, especially at vital stages in games. Overall however, he has demonstrated both a strong will to win and the ability to do whatever is needed towards that end, as manifested in such ways as his perennially-strong Player Efficiency Rating and the number of wins his teams compile. Many players have considered it a great privilege to play with Kidd because of his ability to make other players look good, primarily through his much-heralded passing skills. He has also demonstrated both an ability to sublimate his ego and focus on the team's success and to empower his teammates through low-key and good-natured yet firm leadership (much in contrast to the Nets' previous point guard Stephon Marbury). Though not a consistent shooter, Kidd does possess above average three-point shooting ability and the ability to be a complementary scorer. Kidd has a scoring average in the teens, which while not superstar level, makes him enough of a threat that defenses have to respect his shooting ability as well. Still, he is first and foremost focused on getting the ball to where it is needed. He is recognized as one of the top point guards of the NBA's history, the best in the past decade and arguably a rare breed in this day and age and somewhat of a throwback type. In many ways his career has been hampered by the fact that he hasn't had teammates able to capitalize on his skills as a superb point guard.

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Athletes - Jason Kidd

NBA career

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