“An incredible resource for the club.”
Those were the words of Everton’s executive-chair Marc Watts last week after Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was added to the Premier League club’s ownership group.
In doing so, Kidd, an NBA great, became the latest American sporting star to invest in English soccer, following in the footsteps of NFL duo Tom Brady (Birmingham City) and JJ Watt (Burnley).
But why has Kidd, 52, chosen to get involved with Everton? And what kind of role will he take on with the Merseyside club who have U.S. based owners in The Friedkin Group?
The Athletic takes a look at what to expect from the partnership.
What do Everton fans need to know about Kidd’s sporting achievements?
Kidd is beloved by the current crop of NBA stars. Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who spent much of his childhood in New Jersey, watched him lead the Nets to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 and has said he idolised his now head coach.
Kidd didn’t have the cultural impact of guards such as Allen Iverson or Stephen Curry, but he is an undeniably great and admired player. With the U.S., he won Olympic gold in 2000 and 2008 in Sydney and Beijing and is revered for those achievements.
Kidd playing for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
He’s third on the NBA’s career steals and assists list and won a championship with the Mavericks in 2011.
In 2021, Kidd rejoined the Mavericks for a third stint with the team. The Mavericks have made two deep playoff runs with him as head coach, reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and the NBA Finals in 2024.
What is Kidd like?
Kidd is an intense competitor, but he’s rarely fiery. He speaks in a quiet voice. He’s a brilliant basketball mind, but he doesn’t love to delve into the tactical Xs and Os — at least not with the media.
There’s a sense he enjoys playing mind games sometimes. During the NBA Finals last year, Kidd said Jaylen Brown was the Boston Celtics’ best player. It was hard not to read that as an attempt to mess with Jayson Tatum’s head. It didn’t work. The Mavericks lost to the Celtics in five games.
In 2001, he was arrested for hitting his then-wife Joumana. “I love my wife. I love my family,” Kidd said at the time. “This is a situation that is embarrassing to me, to my family, my friends and also to the Phoenix Suns. I apologize for that and at this time that is pretty much all I can say.”
He pleaded guilty to spousal abuse, was fined $200 and attended six months of anger management classes.
When the Mavericks hired him as head coach in 2021, the team’s then-CEO Cynt Marshall spoke to him about the domestic violence incident in his past and “didn’t find any reason not to hire him,” according to the Dallas Morning News.
In 2013, Kidd pleaded guilty to drunk driving after he drove into a utility pole while intoxicated. Kidd was suspended for two games.
“It is not difficult being responsible,” Kidd told ESPNNewYork.com. “I take full responsibility for my accident and you learn from it. But hopefully others will too and that is the way I look at it.”
Why soccer — and what is he worth?
Kidd made $188million (£140m) in career earnings, according to HoopsHype. He’s now one of the NBA’s better-paid coaches, clearing $10m per year, according to Sportico. So not mega wealthy by Premier League standards, but certainly worth enough for this kind of minor stake in Everton.
From an investment standpoint, the Mavericks head coach has been keen on football for some time. He owns stakes in minor league American club, the Oakland Roots and Soul Club.
The Athletic reported last winter that Kidd was part of a group that sought to purchase a stake in Premier League club Crystal Palace and he remained keen on an investment in English football’s top flight.
In a video released on Everton’s official site, Kidd said he had been watching Everton from afar on TV and was looking forward to visiting the club’s new £800million stadium, which is set to host Premier League games from next August.
“I’m honoured to be joining Everton’s ownership at such an important moment: with a new stadium on the horizon and a bright future ahead, it’s a great moment to come on board.”@RealJasonKidd 💙 pic.twitter.com/CptgJUb2QR
— Everton in the USA (@EvertonInUSA) April 24, 2025
“Seeing it on TV gives me goosebumps but I can’t wait to be there at the new stadium in person. I’m so excited,” he said.
The video, put together with the help of the Mavericks’ media team, saw Kidd adorn a replica shirt from Everton’s FA Cup final win in 1995 — their last major trophy. That was organised unprompted by Kidd and Mavericks — a gesture that will not have gone unnoticed on Merseyside or at TFG’s headquarters in Houston.
Why Everton, then?
In his interview with Everton’s official channel, Kidd spoke about the “global appeal of soccer” and noted that Everton have fans “everywhere”, including in the U.S.
Former USMNT players Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, Joe-Max Moore and Preki have all played for the Merseyside club.
“Everton is historic, lively, passionate — and that’s who I am”, Kidd said.
Kidd has known TFG’s owner and CEO Dan Friedkin and his son Ryan for some time — the group met playing golf and go for coffee together regularly in Dallas.
“It all came from playing golf, which is funny in a way,” he told Howard and Donovan’s Unfiltered Soccer podcast.
“Ryan and I were playing against each other at Crew Cup and just talking about our love of golf. He was involved in Roma and was like, ‘Hey, you’ve got to come over’.
“We kept in touch and I started to hear rumblings about them getting involved in Everton. So I wasn’t shy. I asked if they were getting involved and he said they might.
“He came back and went, ‘Hey, do you have any interest’? And I said I would love to. I’m very excited to go along this journey with them.”
What does it mean for Everton? And why were TFG keen to bring him on board?
Kidd’s stake in Roundhouse, the vehicle through which Houston-based The Friedkin Group (TFG) owns Everton, is on the small side, even in comparison to fellow new addition Christopher Sarofim, a US businessman based out of Texas. As such, it is well below the limit required to trigger Premier League approval.
Put simply, as a company boasting annual revenues of $13billion (£10bn), TFG does not appear to need his money. The group has, however, had many conversations with potential investors and prioritised people with certain skills or expertise.
Watts said he expects Kidd to “bring a deeper understanding of high performance”.
Watts, right, has been Everton’s executive chair since The Friedkin Group’s takeover in December (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
Two other words stuck out from the Everton exec-chair’s statement about Kidd becoming a minority investor at the club: “winning mentality.”
Kidd is a warrior and a winner. He played in 75 or more games 13 times in his 19-year NBA career. He played through bumps, bruises and discomfort, and he took incredible care of his body.
He was at the peak of his powers when he took the Nets to the Finals in 2002 and 2003, and was a member of the 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic “Redeem Team” alongside LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.
In 2011, he was one of the complementary pieces surrounding Dirk Nowitzki on the Mavericks’ championship-winning team.
It was notable in his video that Kidd reserved praise for Everton manager David Moyes, calling him “the right man” for the job.
Kidd’s financial contribution will be relatively small in Premier League terms and there will be no change to the overall ownership or day-to-day running of Everton. Unlike fellow Roundhouse newcomer Sarofim, whose family business Fayez Sarofim and Co manages around $30billion in assets, he will not be joining the Everton board as an observer.
While Sarofim, as a high-net-worth individual, is likely to help the club access capital, as well as providing financial and commercial expertise, there is a sense that having a high-profile American sports figure like Kidd on board will be good for the Everton brand stateside — a priority for the Houston-based TFG early in its tenure. The announcement of his involvement in Everton gained significant national media traction in the US.
The club will take part in the Premier League’s Summer Series, playing games in New Jersey, Chicago and Atlanta, as part of that same drive.
With the Sarofim family possessing a minority stake in the Houston Texans of the NFL, Everton now have links to two major Texas sporting franchises.
There should be potential opportunities for collaboration, particularly on the content side with the Mavericks.
(Top photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)