Kidd to coach Nets

Brooklyn, NY – Last week, Jason Kidd announced his retirement as a player in the NBA.

Now, the 40-year-old 10-time All-Star is diving head-first into coaching.

The Brooklyn Nets announced Wednesday night Kidd will become the team's next head coach.

It's sort of a homecoming for Kidd, who captained the Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. He played in 506 games over 6 1/2 seasons with the team, which was then based in New Jersey.

"This is a tremendous opportunity to be named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and it's a role I have been studying for over the course of my playing days," Kidd said. "Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable, and that's how I expect to coach this basketball team. I am truly excited about this next phase of my basketball career."

The Nets lost to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals and then announced interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo would not return to the sidelines next season. Carlesimo, who replaced Avery Johnson, took over as interim head coach on December 27, 2012 and led the Nets to a 35-19 record over the final 54 games of the regular season.

The Nets interviewed Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw on Wednesday. However, Kidd, who has no prior coaching experience, convinced Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov that he's ready to take over the helm.

Kidd, who just completed his 19th season as a player in the NBA, takes over a team that went 49-33 overall during the regular season.

He will be formally introduced as the 18th head coach in the franchise's NBA history at a 2 p.m. ET press conference Thursday.

During his playing time with the Nets, Kidd led the team to six consecutive playoff appearances from 2002-07, including two Eastern Conference Championships and four Atlantic Division titles. He holds Nets all-time records for assists, steals, three-point field goals made and triple-doubles, while his 7,373 points and 506 games played are fourth and fifth, respectively, in franchise history.

"On behalf of the Nets organization, I am very pleased to welcome Jason Kidd as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets," team general manager Billy King said. "Jason is a proven winner and leader with an incredible wealth of basketball knowledge and experience. This will be a natural transition for him to move into the role of head coach, as he embodies the tough, smart and team-first mentality that we are trying to establish in Brooklyn."

Kidd spent the 2012-13 season with the New York Knicks and retired after his team lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to Indiana. He also played for Dallas, Phoenix and the New Jersey Nets in a 19-year career. He led the Nets to consecutive NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003, and finally won an NBA title in his second go-round with Dallas in 2011.

"Jason Kidd has a long and legendary history with the Nets and with the city of New York," Prokhorov said. "He has the fire in the belly we need, and has achieved as a player everything the Brooklyn Nets are striving to achieve. We believe he will lead us there. Welcome home, Jason."