The Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd is thought to be one of the best basketball layers currently active in the NBA. Before joining the Mavericks, Kidd led the New Jersey Nets to the NBA finals in 2002 and 2003.

His career in the NBA actually began with the Mavericks; he went on to play for Phoenix for a time, until being traded to the Nets before finally coming back home to the Mavericks in 2008, when he scored the 100th triple-double in his career in the final regular game of the season.

The oldest of six children, Kidd played on public courts in Oakland while a youth, often with Gary Payton (an NBA All-Star). The two remain close to this day and often speak fondly of playing on these courts.

Jason Kidd earned the Naismith Award while playing for his high school team, being ranked as the top high school player in the nation. He went to college at UC-Berkeley where he also played basketball. He was a finalist for the Naismith and the Wooden Awards as a college player. When he left to enter the NBA draft in 1994, his #5 jersey was retired.

In the NBA, he was a 9-time NBA All-Star and on the All-NBA First team in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004. He was on the 1995 NBA All-Rookie First Team, 2003 NBA Skills Challenge Champion and made All Defensive First and Second teams since 1999 to 2007.

Along with some of the other living legends of the game, Kidd represented the US on the US Men’s Basketball team in 2008’s Summer Olympics, bringing home the gold medal. He has an unbroken 56-0 record in USA Basketball, including exhibition games and also won a gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics!

However, the star’s personal life has not always gone as well as his athletic career. In 2001, he was charged with domestic abuse; he pled guilty to the charge and completed a course of anger management and counseling, in addition to quitting drinking. It was later announced that the couple had reconciled.

However, he filed for divorce in 2007, claiming his wife was insanely jealous, paranoid and had threatened to file false reports of abuse. His wife filed as well, claiming physical abuse. The two have three children together.

A year later, reports emerged that Jason Kidd and model Hope Dworaczyk were expecting a child.

While he may have had personal problems, Kidd’s record on the court is indisputable. Kidd is one of two players in the NBA to amass a career scoring total of more than 14,000 points, 9,000 assists and 6,600 rebounds. Jason Kidd is also (along with Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson) one of only three players in NBA history who has averaged triple-doubles in multiple playoff games. In fact, he is one of the league’s all-time leaders on double triples, behind only Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson - it should be no surprise that Kidd was named the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year in 2007.

Jason Kidd is nothing if not an accomplished player, having set records and made great achievements in the NBA and as an Olympian. He is also a humanitarian, sponsoring youth programs in the greater Dallas- Ft. Worth area.

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