Jason Kidd was officially introduced as the Brooklyn Nets' new head coach Thursday. The move comes just 10 days after the former All-Star point guard announced his retirement.
Click here for video of Kidd's introduction.
"We've got somebody here who will work his butt off to makes sure we go in the right direction," said Nets general manager Billy King, who also praised the former player's toughness and intelligence.
"I have a lot to learn about coaching," Kidd said. "But when I played the game, I looked at myself as an extension of the coach. And now I look at Deron to be that guy."
Williams, the Nets' franchise point guard and a friend of Kidd's was in the front row at the news conference. Kidd said the idea of coaching stemmed from a conversation he had with his agent, Jeff Schwartz, the weekend before his retirement announcement.
"He asked me, 'What are your plans?'" Kidd said of Schwartz. "'You can only play so much golf before you call me, asking, What can I do?'"
As a player, Kidd was one of the best players in Nets franchise history. He joined the team in 2001 after the team won just 26 games the year before. Kidd led the Nets to the NBA Finals during his first two seasons with the franchise, losing to the Lakers and then the Spurs.
Kidd spent 19 seasons in the NBA and was also a member of the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. He was a member of two Olympic gold medal teams (2000 and 2008) and was a member of the Mavericks 2011 NBA championship team.
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