Jason Kidd has spent most of his adult life moving between roles inside the NBA. He became a Hall of Fame point guard, moved directly into coaching and eventually guided the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals.
His next step may take him away from the sideline. Only months after Dallas ended his five-year tenure, Kidd is reportedly considering a role that would require him to explain the league rather than manage a team.
ESPN is pursuing Kidd for its NBA studio coverage, according to longtime league insider Marc Stein.
“ESPN is in advanced talks to hire former Mavericks coach Jason Kidd to add him to their NBA studio coverage,” Stein reported.
No agreement has been announced, and ESPN has not confirmed Kidd’s role. NBA Countdown has emerged as the likely destination, though the structure of his potential involvement remains unclear.
Kidd would enter television without an extensive broadcasting background. His value would come from proximity: five recent seasons coaching Dallas, experience preparing for playoff series and an understanding of how teams make decisions behind closed doors.
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The timing of this move looks very interesting. Dallas brought in Masai Ujiri as their new basketball boss on May 4, and just 15 days later, they announced that Coach Kidd was leaving. It feels like Ujiri wanted to make a big change right away.
The Mavericks described the separation as mutual. Ujiri later removed that ambiguity, saying the decision to dismiss Kidd belonged to him.
Judging Kidd’s entire career through his Dallas exit would require ignoring most of it.
As a player, the argument ends quickly. Kidd won an NBA championship in 2011, earned 10 All-Star selections and retired second in league history in both assists and steals. He entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Nov 21, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) looks back at head coach Jason Kidd during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
His coaching record is less settled. Kidd has gone 388-395 across stops with Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Dallas, leaving him below .500 during the regular season. His 31-33 playoff record presents a similarly uneven picture.
Those numbers do not describe a consistently successful coach. They also do not support calling him a failure.
Kidd guided Dallas to the 2022 Western Conference Finals and the 2024 NBA Finals. His teams did not sustain that level, ending with a 26-56 season that gave Ujiri enough reason to change direction.
May 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd at a press conference before game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Perhaps the more defensible conclusion is that Kidd’s coaching career became incomplete rather than unsuccessful. He reached stages many coaches never approach, but he did not build the year-to-year stability that would make those runs feel permanent.
Television would not erase that record or prove his coaching career is finished. It would place Kidd in another role where the experience behind his successes and failures becomes the qualification itself.
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