Jason Kidd
The Meadowlands in New Jersey was home to some of the best years in franchise history. Not coincidentally, those were the Jason Kidd years. Acquired in a trade from the Phoenix Suns in 2001, Kidd was given the keys to the team and almost instantly put the car into hyperspeed.
Overnight, the Nets became a title contender. With Kidd leading the charge, the Nets made it to back-to-back Finals appearances and made household names of Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin, and Kerry Kittles.
After the Finals run, the Kidd-Vince Carter duo brought excitement to the Meadowlands with alley-oop after alley-oop, like a two-man Lob City.
As much as he did for others, he found time for some of his own individual accomplishment. He made three All-NBA teams, six All-Defensive teams and six All-Star teams in New Jersey.
He also notched the majority of his triple-doubles with the Nets, landing him just behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson for third most all-time.
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The Kidd years ended unceremoniously as he was traded to the Mavericks, where he would win his only ring just a few years later in 2011. He finished his career with the Knicks in 2013, which to anyone who takes the cross-river rivalry seriously, seems like a crime against nature.
After what seemed like seconds after announcing his retirement, he returned to Nets, becoming their new head coach in 2013, becoming the mastermind behind one of the most expensive rosters in NBA history and executed one of the most diabolical timeout schemes in sports history.
He led the team to the second round of the playoffs before getting ousted by the eventual champions, the Miami Heat.
His tenure as head coach lasted only one year, as he abruptly left for Milwaukee, where he garnered mixed results before being fired early this year, much to the dismay a very important star player.
Whichever way you look at it, Jason Kidd is one of the best point guards in the history of the game and one of the greatest Nets players of all time. He’s entering the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in a New Jersey uniform at the end of the summer.