TheĀ Brooklyn NetsĀ haveĀ announcedĀ that they will retireĀ Jason Kidd's No. 5 jersey, and rookie MasonĀ PlumleeĀ is the one who told you first. No, seriously, he did.
Well before the Nets went public with the information,Ā PlumleeĀ told Bleacher ReportĀ that he was unable to choose jersey No. 5 upon being drafted because Brooklyn intended on retiring it.
"I don't want to spoil it, but I think they're going to retire it,"Ā PlumleeĀ said of the jersey at the time.
According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, the Nets plan on retiring his No. 5 prior to Brooklyn's preseason game against theĀ Miami HeatĀ on Oct. 17:
Kidd spent six seasons with the then-New Jersey Nets before being traded to theĀ Dallas MavericksĀ during the middle of his seventh. He averaged 14.6 points, 9.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game while in New Jersey, leading the Nets to two Eastern Conference championships and six total playoff berths.
Between 2002 and 2008, Kidd andĀ Chris PaulĀ were theĀ only players in the leagueĀ to post at least 14 points, nine assists and 1.5 steals per game. The point man helped put New Jersey on the map, transforming the Nets from a lottery dweller who saw the playoffs just once in the previous seven years into a perennial title contender who routinely won close to 50 games.
The move, then, comes as no surprise given all his ties to the organization. Not just on the court, either.
Kidd retired from theĀ NBAĀ so that he could pursue a coaching gig with the Nets, and soon after, theĀ New York Post reportedĀ he would be purchasing an ownership stake in the team from Jay-Z. With all that's happened over the last couple of months, it's fitting that Kidd add this to his list of accomplishments.
Once his jersey is lifted up into the rafters, he'll become theĀ seventh player in franchise historyĀ to have his number retired. WendellĀ LadnerĀ (No. 4),Ā BillĀ MelchionniĀ (25),Ā JuliusĀ ErvingĀ (32), John Williamson (23),Ā DrazenĀ PetrovicĀ (3) andĀ Charles "Buck" Williams (52) have all previously had their jerseys retired by the Nets.
This is just the first of many post-career honors Kidd will receive. His crowning achievement will likely come five years from now when he's inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot.
For now, it's about his career with the Nets. The one that has ended for good as a player, and the one he's about to embark on as a coach.
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.jpg?w=2560 "Week 9 CFB AP Top 25 Poll")