MANILA — Former Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said he would consider returning to an NBA bench at some point, in an interview with Rappler’s Delfin Dioquino during his first trip to the Philippines.
Kidd, 53, is in Manila for NBA House Philippines 2026, a free fan event running Saturday and Sunday at SPACE at One Ayala in Makati City. He is headlining the first Philippine edition of the event alongside WNBA champion Lauren Jackson and four-time NBA champion Tony Parker.
Kidd said he got lucky to move into coaching when he decided his playing career was over after 19 seasons.
“Yeah, I think I love coaching. I love to watch players get better. I want to win. I want to help the team win,” Kidd said. “And so I would never say no to coaching. Maybe somewhere down the future, but also right now I’m just at home really trying to enjoy my family. And then also just watching the game and seeing if I can help others still from the coaching side. I’m always talking to Jalen Brunson and to Giannis. So just trying to help others now that I’m not coaching.”
Jalen Brunson was the 33rd overall pick by Dallas in 2018 and spent four seasons with the Mavericks before signing with the New York Knicks. Giannis Antetokounmpo played for Kidd in Milwaukee from 2014 to 2018 and joined the Miami Heat this offseason after 13 seasons with the Bucks.
What Jason Kidd Learned In Brooklyn
Kidd said the phrase player’s coach means something different on the floor than it does in the job.
“As you get older and you time is starting to run out, you got to figure out what’s next. And so someone suggested that you should look into coaching,” Kidd explained. “And so we did that. We jumped in with the Brooklyn Nets. But what I didn’t know, a lot of times you’re called a player’s coach on the floor. Well, that isn’t very true when you become a coach in real life, because what happens is you’re responsible for 17 players, the coaching staff, the GMs, and the owners. And so there’s so many things that as a player I didn’t know the coach had to deal with. So I learned a lot very fast in Brooklyn that there was other responsibilities.”
How Jason Kidd’s Dallas Mavericks Tenure Ended
Kidd went 205-205 in five seasons in Dallas and 22-18 in the playoffs. The Mavericks reached the Western Conference finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024. They missed the postseason in each of the two seasons after the February 2025 trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, and they finished 26-56 last season.
Masai Ujiri was hired May 4 as president of basketball operations and alternate governor. The Mavericks parted with Kidd 15 days later, on May 19, with four years and more than $40 million left on his contract. General manager Nico Harrison had been fired in November 2025. Ujiri said the following day that removing Kidd was his decision.
Dallas hired Dusty May away from Michigan in June, a day before the NBA draft. May won the 2026 national championship in his second season with the Wolverines.
Jason Kidd’s Playing And Coaching Career
Dallas drafted Kidd second overall in 1994, and he shared Rookie of the Year honors that season. Across 19 seasons with the Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Nets, and Knicks, he averaged 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in 1,391 games. He won the 2011 championship in Dallas and retired in 2013.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Kidd in 2018 as a player and again in 2025 as a member of the 2008 United States Olympic team. He won gold with Team USA in 2000 and 2008.
His coaching career started in Brooklyn in 2013. Milwaukee hired him the following year and fired him in January 2018. He spent two seasons as a Lakers assistant under Frank Vogel and won a championship there in 2020, then took the Dallas job that summer.
The Mavericks open the 2026-27 season at the Houston Rockets on Oct. 21.
