Steve Kerr and Jason Kidd both were championship-winning guards in the NBA throughout their playing careers. While Kerr won more as a part of the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, Kidd had to wait longer, as he became a champion with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
Kerr and Kidd actually played each other in the 2003 NBA Finals, with Kidd leading the New Jersey Nets and Kerr a part of the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs won that series in 6 games, and Kerr would retire after that. Now they will be facing each other in the Conference Finals, albeit as opposing head coaches.
Considering the playing pedigree of both the players, Kerr was asked about playing against Kidd when they were both still active in the league.
Jason Kidd and Steve Kerr are about to coach against each other in the conference finals. They once faced each other as players.
-Kerr: "Overwhelming speed and force…Brilliant player."
-Kidd: "Yeah, I remember facing Steve. He had Michael Jordan."
Full soundbites pic.twitter.com/vA4ZMVAMQC
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 17, 2022
“I didn’t guard him, thankfully. The biggest thing I remember about Jason was just the overwhelming speed and force that he played with. In transition, even after made baskets, he’d come barreling down. You didn’t really see how strong he was until you played against him. On TV maybe you couldn’t see it as much, but when the game started, you felt his force. And he was obviously a brilliant passer. Just played with this wonderful pace and energy and made the games easier for his teammates. Just a brilliant player.”
Kidd was a 10-time All-Star and a 6-time All-NBA player over the course of his career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player and is now looking to become the 9th Hall of Famer to successfully coach a team to the NBA Finals.
Steve Kerr is a serial winner and is chasing his 9th NBA title this season, his fourth as a coach. Kidd can make history by becoming part of the extremely rare group of players to have won a title as a player and a coach for the same team.
