Jason Kidd credits what he became as a player to fellow Hall of Famer Gary Payton, who took him under his wing early in his basketball journey.
Both from the same neighborhood in Oakland, California, J-Kidd met “The Glove” when he was 14 years old, and Payton was already a collegiate star at Oregon State. Recognizing his potential early, Payton took an active role in helping shape his game, something Kidd still appreciates to this day.
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In a recent LinkedIn post, the 53-year-old Kidd, now the coach of the Dallas Mavericks, spoke about the significant role that Payton played in his development as a player, including the harsh words that the Seattle SuperSonics legend said to him when they first met.
“Gary’s first words to me were ‘You’re pretty good, but I’d kill you all day long,'” Kidd recalled.
“He took me under his wing on the Oakland courts. He told me what I was doing right. He told me what I was doing wrong. He pushed me when I needed pushing. He set the bar for toughness and taught me what it meant to work hard,”the one-time NBA champion player continued.
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Road to a legendary career
What Kidd learned from Payton prepared him well for what turned out to be a legendary career, widely considered one of the best point guards in NBA history, alongside his mentor.
Kidd starred at the University of California, Berkeley, for two years, earning numerous individual accolades while helping the Golden Bears reach the NCAA Tournament each time, including a Sweet 16 appearance in his freshman campaign in 1993.
Kidd was the Pac-10 Player of the Year in his sophomore year at Cal after averaging 16.7 points, 9.1 assists, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 steals. He also earned first team All-American honors, along with Grant Hill (Duke), Donyell Marshall (UConn), Glenn Robinson (Purdue) and Clifford Rozier (Louisville).
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His stellar college performance earned him selection second overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by Dallas. With the Mavericks, he made an immediate impact, helping the team make a 23-game improvement while being named co-Rookie of the Year along with Hill of the Detroit Pistons.
Kidd played 19 seasons in the NBA, including seven with the New Jersey Nets in the early 2000s, during which he established himself as one of the greats of the game, leading the team to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.
He won his lone NBA title in his second tour of duty with the Mavericks in 2011, playing alongside Dirk Nowitzki. Kidd retired from playing in 2013 and transitioned to coaching, winning another championship in 2020 as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers. Since 2021, he has been the head coach in Dallas.
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Proud mentor
Seeing how things panned out for Kidd in his basketball career, Payton could not be prouder of his fellow Oaklander and the hand he had in it.
“Everybody knows I raised him, too. I had Jason; Jason was from Oakland, too, I had Jason when he was [14]. He wanted to hang out with me all day, every day… It gives great satisfaction to me because I was involved with their lives,”Payton, who had his spirited battle with his former student in the NBA, told Grantland in 2013.
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Having benefitted from the guidance that he got from Payton, Kidd said it is also his mission now to show up for the next-generation players, proving once again that in basketball, and life in general, nobody does it alone.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.