From New Jersey to New York, the Brooklyn Nets have yet to win an NBA championship, but the team is hoping to change that this season. The preseason title favorites are led by Kevin Durant and James Harden, and now that Kyrie Irving is in the process of returning to the team as a part-time player, Brooklyn will be even harder to stop.
Durant’s taken the reins for the Nets and has guided the team to first place in the Eastern Conference. He most recently put up a 51-point performance and led a shorthanded roster to two wins, causing him to jump to the top of the MVP rankings.
KD’s one of the best scorers in the history of the game, and because he signed a four-year, $198 million extension during the offseason, he’ll have a shot at being one of the best scorers in the history of the organization.
Before that happens, though, we need to acknowledge who came before him and left their mark.
5 best scorers in Brooklyn Nets history
5. Jason Kidd
During the 2000-01 season, the New Jersey Nets had only won a total of 26 games. However, on June 28, 2001, the Nets did themselves a favor and traded for Jason Kidd from the Phoenix Suns.
It didn’t take long for Kidd to change New Jersey for the better. The team won seven of their first eight games with Kidd and finished with a 52-30 record, capturing their first Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference title. As if that wasn’t enough, Kidd went on to lead the Nets to their first NBA Finals appearance later on that year.
Kidd averaged 14.7 points and 9.9 assists in his first season with New Jersey and finished second in MVP voting. In his second year with the Nets, the guard averaged a career-high 18.7 points per game and led the league with 8.9 assists.
In the 2003 finals against San Antonio, Kidd averaged 19.6 points, 7.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds, but the Nets came up short, losing 4-2 against the Spurs. He led New Jersey to the playoffs in the six full seasons that he was with the team.
He earned All-NBA First Team honors in 2001-02 and 2003-04. The 2006-07 season marked his last full season with the Nets, as he was traded to the Mavericks on Feb. 19, 2008.
Kidd played in a total of 506 games for New Jersey and averaged 14.6 points, 9.1 assists, and 7.2 rebounds. He’s the all-time leader in assists (4,620), assists per game (9.1), and is second in made 3-point shots (813).
From 2001-2008, he scored 7,373 points.
Kidd retired from the NBA on June 3, 2013, after 19 seasons.