What The NBA Is Saying About The Dallas Mavericks Hiring Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd is headed back to Dallas to take over the team that drafted him in 1994.

The Athletic broke the news on Thursday, June 24, that the Mavericks agreed to hire the hall-of-famer as its head coach. Reaction to Kidd's hiring has been mixed.

Former Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle gave his approval. Carlisle previously coached Kidd during his second run with the team from 2008 to 2012. The departing coach also drew comparisons between Kidd and current Mavs star Luka Doncic.

"I just think that it would be a great situation for Luka, and I think it would be an amazing situation for Jason. I’m the only person on the planet that’s coached both of those guys and that knows about all of their special qualities as basketball players," Carlisle told ESPN.

He previously compared the two players in 2020, Fox Sports reported.

Kidd is leaving his role as an assistant coach with the Los Angles Lakers for his new gig, which LeBron James found bittersweet. James wished him luck, nonetheless.

Kidd's hiring doesn't come without controversy. In 2001, Kidd plead guilty to domestic abuse, and in 2012 he was arrested and charged with a DWI. Some sports writers have come out against Kidd's hiring and say that it sends the wrong message, especially after former Mavs employees outed the team as a toxic workplace in 2018.

Jasmyn Wimbish, who covers the NBA and WBNA for CBS Sports, called out team owner Mark Cuban, who previously promise to change the workplace culture in Dallas.