Mar 31, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Jason Kidd Gets Generous Nod From Former NBA Star

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 11:15 PM ET

Before coaching the Dallas Mavericks, Jason Kidd had a successful stint as a player in the NBA.

Recently, the former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas took a trip down memory lane and boasted confidence in his offensive game. As Arenas claimed that the most “fearful” defenders didn’t mean much to him when he was in competitive mode, he admitted that there was one player who had his number.

It was Jason Kidd.

“I torch First-Team and Second-Team All-Defense. I pride myself on showing people that these guys' defense wasn’t like that. Actually, there’s a correction. Jason Kidd was my only problem,” Arenas admitted.

Jason Kidd was the ONLY player I couldn’t cook, everyone else was BARBECUE pic.twitter.com/KkcOWDqV8z
— Gilbert Arenas (@NoChillGilZero) September 25, 2025

Arenas entered the NBA in 2001 as a second-round pick. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors and spent a few seasons there before playing for the Washington Wizards. In DC is where Arenas made his name.

For three straight seasons, Arenas averaged over 25 points with the Wizards. From 2005 to 2007, he earned several All-Star nods, and landed All-NBA on three occasions. Arenas was a talented scorer and earned his bragging rights during his best days in the NBA.

But even a confident Arenas can admit that Kidd was an issue for him defensively.

“Jason Kidd was my only problem,” he added. “Consistently, the only problem that I had offensively was [expletive] J-Kidd. It was J-Kidd. No double, no nothing. I couldn’t post him, I couldn’t go by him.”

Kidd was a two-way superstar. He was a six-time All-NBA winner, but a nine-time All-Defensive player. Four of those were First-Team, backing Arenas’ claim.

While Kidd wasn’t a high-volume scoring guard, he was one of the top playmakers of his era. From 1999 to 2004, Kidd led the NBA in assists per game in five out of six seasons. He ended up having a career that ran through 2013, totaling over 1,300 regular-season games and 158 playoff matchups.

Following his 10-time All-Star playing career, Kidd eventually made his way to the bench as a head coach. He started with the Brooklyn Nets as soon as his playing career concluded. He moved to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014 for four seasons. After the 2017-2018 season, Kidd spent some time with the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant.

In 2021, he was hired to take over the Dallas Mavericks’ job. He’s now entering his fifth year as the head coach of the Mavs, steering the ship of the Cooper Flagg era.