Jason Kidd's Jersey Retired by Brooklyn Nets

It's rare to see a team's head coach have his jersey raised into the rafters right before a game he's getting ready to coach, but Jason Kidd had his number retired by the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night before their preseason game against the Miami Heat.

Via the Brooklyn Nets Twitter account:

You can see the ceremony below, courtesy of NBA.com.

NBA.com's Lang Whitaker also snapped a picture of some Kidd-themed cupcakes.

You knew as soon as Kidd retired, his number was going to grace the team's rafters.

While he never actually played for the since-relocated Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center, he is one of the best players to ever put on a Nets jersey.

He was the engine for the renaissance of the franchise in the early 2000s.

You have to go back to the ABA days in the '70s to find a more successful run than the one that the Nets experienced with Kidd as floor general. He turned what was largely a middle-of-the-pack franchise into title contenders, helping to win the Eastern Conference in 2002 and 2003.

According to Basketball-Reference, the 10-time All-Star point guard recorded 7,373 points and 4,620 assists with the Nets. Those numbers are good for fourth and first, respectively, in the franchise's record books. In a testament to his all-around game, he is also third in franchise history in defensive rebounds (2,964).

Despite playing well for other teams (namely the Dallas Mavericks), he'll likely most be remembered for his years with New Jersey.