Jason Kidd addresses the Mavericks’ uncertainty as Dereck Lively II seeks answers on his foot setback, adding weight to their injury concerns.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The San Antonio Spurs grew to be one of the biggest dynasties in the history of the NBA. For 22 consecutive years, they made it to the playoffs (1998-2019), and during that time, they won five championships. In four of those years, the Spurs were led by their iconic big three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili — all of whom are already in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
However, there were a few moments during the Spurs' incredible 22-year run in which the team almost underwent seismic changes, rendering them almost unrecognizable. Many know of Duncan's free agency journey that saw him almost sign with the Orlando Magic to team up with Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady.
But in 2003, the Spurs almost pulled the plug on the Parker experiment to bring in arguably the best point guard in the league at the time in Jason Kidd. However, Kidd decided to stay with the Nets out of loyalty.
“I'm in. The one thing was a hold up, it was a small thing, man I gotta sit here and watch you guys get the rings after just losing to you. But that's just one game. We'll get past it. And we'll have opportunities to win more. But the loyalty of like, man we built something in Jersey. I think we can get there,” Kidd said in an appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast.
“But not knowing the business side of what was coming down, that they started trading K-Mart (Kenyon Martin) that following year. And so things fell apart fast. To be a Spur, I was very very close.”
Parker ended up being a keeper for the Spurs anyhow, and they won three more titles in the aftermath of chasing Kidd in 2003 (2005, 2007, and 2014). Meanwhile, Kidd eventually won a title in 2011, but with the Dallas Mavericks after the Nets pulled the trigger on a rebuild in 2008.
Kidd would have won more titles had he signed with the Spurs, but he did end up winning one anyway. All's well that ends well here.