Jason Kidd, assistant coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and Basketball Hall of Famer, impressed the New York Knicks when he interviewed for the previously opened head coach position, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“He made a strong impression on the Knicks in that interview process, showing humility and a humble acceptance of some of his political missteps in Brooklyn and Milwaukee,” Wojnarowski wrote.
The Knicks have chosen former Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau for the job.
The Lakers hired Kidd before the start of the 2019-20 season to serve as main assistant to manager Frank Vogel.
It apparently left a strong impression, as ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz quoted two sources in January as saying that LeBron James thinks Kidd is “the only person alive who sees the game of basketball with his level of clarity.”
Kidd was the coach of the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks, spending the 2013-14 season in New York before heading to Milwaukee from 2014 to 2018.
The 47-year-old played a combined 183-190 and made three playoff appearances between the two teams.
Although Kidd didn’t get the Knicks job, he could still find a new home elsewhere. The Chicago Bulls fired Jim Boylen and the New Orleans Pelicans split from Alvin Gentry.
The Nets will be looking for a full-time manager, though they may also choose to drop the interim tag from manager Jacque Vaughn. He has gone 7-3 since taking over from Kenny Atkinson in March.
It’s also possible that some teams in the postseason decide to go in different directions after their season ends.
For now, the Kidd’s Lakers will face the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the NBA playoffs which begins Tuesday at 9:00 PM ET. LA earned seed no. 1 in the Western Conference.