Fired Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd lands new TV role ahead of NBA season
Longtime NBA coach Jason Kidd is set to pivot to television for the upcoming pro basketball season.
According to multiple reports, Kidd will join ESPN as a member of the desk for its pregame and halftime show, ‘NBA Countdown.’
Kidd had recently been the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks for five seasons before the two sides ‘mutually agreed to part ways’ in May.
The Mavericks then hired Dusty May, the head coach of the national champion Michigan Wolverines.
Kidd will step into the role of ‘former NBA head coach’ that was vacated by ex-Nuggets boss Michael Malone, who took the open head coach spot at the University of North Carolina.
Since ending his Hall of Fame playing career in 2013, Kidd jumped head-first into coaching.
Former Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is set to join ESPN’s ‘NBA Countdown’ this season
Kidd will fill a vacancy on the network’s pregame and halftime show after leaving Dallas
Kidd began his coaching career in Brooklyn before going to Milwaukee and Los Angeles
He started with the Brooklyn Nets and became the first rookie head coach to win a Game 7 in the playoffs on the road.
In a bizarre circumstance, Kidd’s coaching rights were then traded the following offseason to the Milwaukee Bucks for two second-round draft picks.
Kidd coached in Milwaukee for three full seasons before being fired midway through the 2017-18 season. After serving as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, he then took the Dallas job in the 2021-22 campaign.
In Dallas, Kidd only made the playoffs twice in five seasons – but reached the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024.
‘Countdown’ is ESPN’s main NBA studio show, with the popular ‘Inside the NBA’ set to air 25 times in the 2026-27 regular season.
