Jason Kidd is a retired NBA basketball professional, who is widely considered as one of the most talented players in the history of the game. He was born on March 23, 1973 to Steve and Anne Kidd. He was the oldest of six children and was a talented sportsman from an early age, being sought by AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) teams from the start. He attended St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in California, leading his team to two team championships and being named the High School Player of the Year by “Parade” and “USA Today” in his senior year as well as being named as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald’s All Americans.

Kidd then enrolled at UC Berkeley on a basketball scholarship, choosing this over several other offers such as the University of Arizona, the University of Kentucky, the University of Kansas, and Ohio State University. He had an extremely successful college career, and set several records with them in the two years he spent there. At the end of his sophomore year, he decided to go pro and was selected in the 1994 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. He stayed with the team until 1996, where he won the Rookie of the Year Award after he helped them improve from the worst record in the NBA to the most improved record in the NBA in just one season. In the following season, Kidd was chosen to start in the 1996 All-Star Game. However, because of some problems with the team’s management, Kidd was traded to the Phoenix Suns during the 1996-97 season.

Jason Kidd stayed with the Suns until 2001, during which he made the All-Star Game in 1998, 2000, and 2001 and was also voted to the All-NBA First Team for three consecutive years between 1999 and 2001. His style of play was suited to the team very well, as both were fast paced and he helped them to improve their record substantially and got along well with his teammates. In 2001, Kidd, along with fellow Suns’ teammate Chris Dudley, was traded to the New Jersey Nets. The first season that he joined he joined the team saw them improve their victory margin by 26