Richard Jefferson was drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, under the impression that he would be playing for the Houston Rockets. However, shortly after, RJ was told he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, which initially was an uncharted place for him.
A quick turnaround
The next day, RJ found out that Jason Kidd had been traded to the Nets, and suddenly everything changed for him.
“I got drafted by Houston. I was so excited. My agent called me and told me I got traded to New Jersey. I immediately became depressed,” Jefferson told Slam in 2016.
“The next day, I’m driving on the freeway, in Phoenix,” he continued. “I hear, ‘Hey everybody, we have a trade to announce. Stephon Marbury has just been traded from New Jersey, and Jason Kidd is going to New Jersey.’ I almost wrecked my car on the freeway trying to pull over to call my agent.”
Suffering from success
By 2001, Jason Kidd was already a four-time All-Star who had led the league in assists for 3 years in a row. To the young Jefferson, playing with who he called the best point guard in the league was an extremely exciting opportunity.
“I was so excited. Maybe call it arrogance. Maybe call it confidence. But I knew how good Jason Kidd was,” Jefferson added. “I knew how good we were gonna be and what we were gonna accomplish.”
The Nets would go on to make back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in Jefferson’s rookie and sophomore seasons in the NBA. Jason Kidd made All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team in just his first year with the Nets.
Unfortunately, their efforts were not enough to win an NBA championship, but getting the team’s first and second NBA Finals appearances in back-to-back seasons was accomplishment enough.
Nevertheless, it is safe to say Richard Jefferson was right to be excited about playing with Jason Kidd and the Nets.
More must-reads: