Jason Kidd and Joe Mazzulla are going to be just the third pair of head black head coaches in NBA Finals history. With the Celtics and Mavericks set to play in the NBA Finals this week, the two coaches won’t just be proud of their teams, but proud of themselves for being at the forefront of change in the league when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
Prior to Kidd and Mazzulla, the first pair of black head coaches to take part in the NBA Finals were Al Attles, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, and K.C. Jones, the head coach of the Washington Bullets in 1975. Attles led the Warriors to a 4-0 sweep of the Bullets to win the NBA championship, and Rick Barry was named Finals MVP.
The second time this happened was 42 years later, albeit unofficially. Tyronn Lue was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Whereas the Golden State Warriors head coach was Steve Kerr, who is white.
However, Kerr was sidelined for the entire Finals with an injury, and assistant coach Mike Brown was named acting head coach during his absence. Brown coached the Warriors to defeat the Cavaliers 4-1 to win the NBA championship.
So in reality, Kidd and Mazzulla are only the second official black coach pairing in NBA Finals history. Interestingly, Kyrie Irving will have the distinction of being the only player to play in two NBA Finals where both head coaches are black, as he was part of the 2017 NBA Finals as well, playing for the Cavaliers.
There are a lot of parallels for Irving here as well. Much like his head coach, who got traded from the Nets to the Mavericks, Kyrie will be looking to replicate Kidd’s success as a player with the Mavericks this year and win a title.
Irving and the Mavericks look to win their second championships respectively. Jason Kidd will have his work cut out for him, as the Celtics have been the perennial favorites to win the NBA championship this season.
Can Jason Kidd Join Elite List Of Champions As Both Players And Coaches?
With a win in the NBA Finals, Jason Kidd would join an elite list of people who have won NBA championships as both players and coaches. He would become the 15th player to do so, joining K.C. Jones, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, Phil Jackson, Billy Cunningham, Pat Riley, Red Holzman, Larry Costello, George Senesky, Buddy Jeanette, Rick Carlisle, Steve Kerr, and Tyronn Lue.
Kidd would also become the second coach in Mavericks history to win the NBA championship as a player and a coach, as Rick Carlisle did the same when he led the Mavericks, who had Jason Kidd as a player, to the NBA championship.
Kidd could cement himself as a Mavericks legend, being part of both their championship wins if he leads the Mavs to victory this year. And he does have a great roster, led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Kidd recently spoke about Doncic and Irving being called the greatest backcourt in NBA history.
There is no doubt that Doncic and Irving will have a claim to the greatest backcourt title if they lead the Mavericks to an NBA championship. But they have to overcome a formidable Celtics team that is hungry to avenge their loss in the 2022 NBA Finals. It will be an interesting series, to say the least.
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