The Brooklyn Nets announced on Monday that they plan to retire the No.5 jersey of current head coach and former point guard Jason Kidd prior to their October 17th preseason contest against the Miami Heat. The game will be broadcasted locally by the YES Network and nationally by TNT, with tip-off beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Kidd is to become the sixth player in franchise history to have his number raised to the rafters, and he'll join Drazen Petrovic (#3), John Williamson (#23), Bill Melchionni (#25), Julius Erving (#32) and Charles 'Buck' Williams (#52), who was the most recent honoree in April, 1999.
When he was playing for the Nets he led the team to two NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003, played in 506 games over six and a half seasons for New Jersey, averaging 14.6 points, 9.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. Kidd currently ranks first in assists (4,620), steals (950), three-point field goals made (813) and triple-doubles 61, second in minutes played (18,737), fourth in points (7,373) and rebounds (3,662), fifth in games played (506) and sixth in field goals made (2,613) and free throws made (1,352). In 78 playoff games, Kidd holds Nets all-time records for points, assists, rebounds, steals, field goals made/attempted, three-point field goals made/attempted, minutes and games played.
"My warmest congratulations to Jason as we commemorate his outstanding career as an NBA player and his unparalleled contribution to the Nets franchise," said Nets Principal Owner Mikhail Prokhorov. As one chapter closes, another will soon be written and I know that we are all looking forward to Jason's continued successes."
"This honor is richly deserved," said Nets General Manager Billy King. "Jason is firmly established in the Nets' record books as the greatest player in the team's NBA history, and the retirement of his #5 is a fitting conclusion to his legacy as a Nets' player."
"This is a very humbling honor and one that I will always cherish," said Kidd. "There can be no greater recognition of an athlete's time with any team than to have his number retired, and this gesture by the Nets organization validates a very significant portion of my career that was spent as a player with this franchise."
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