Brooklyn Nets Coach Jason Kidd to Miss Season Opener With DWI Plea
NBA legend and new Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd may miss the first few games of the season because of a suspension for his DWI charge.
Kidd was already a risky hire because of him not having any prior coaching experience, but this was also something lingering in the background.
The ballplayer is expected to make an interim plea that will lead to an October sentencing for his car accident that happened last year.
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"He will say that the drinks he had that night rendered him intoxicated," his attorney, Edward Burke Jr. said Monday morning to the Daily News. "What Jason is going to do is stand up and own this."
Kidd has also agreed to make school appearances in Long Island and have them taped for future use to share with other children about the dangers of drunk driving.
Kidd left an event with Nets guard Joe Johnson and could not even walk as he was carried out of the club the night of the accident, according to TMZ.
Because of his suspension, assistant coach who is also a former Nets head coach Lawrence Frank will call the shots until Kidd returns.
Kidd retired after 19 seasons in the NBA in what is most definitely a Hall of Fame career.
He will go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, but in the last few seasons, most notably this past one, he went through some of the worst stretches of play in his career.
"Everybody will probably say that [it did]," Kidd said regarding his poor play in a statement. "But I didn't come into the league as a shooter or scorer and I guess I won't be leaving as one. I just tried to play the game the right way. As you get older, Father Time is undefeated. The ball just wouldn't go in for me at the end. I thought I had a great season."
Coming to the Knicks this year, Kidd was important as a team leader and a veteran who could help the youngsters craft their games.
"Veteran leadership on and off the court was a huge factor for our team that recorded 54 victories and an Atlantic Division crown," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said reports CBS Sports. "Jason provided an incredible voice inside our locker room and I considered it an honor to say I coached him."
The 40-year-old leaves the NBA as a 10-time all-star, one-time NBA champion in 2011 with the Dallas mavericks, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, second all-time in assists only to John Stockton, third in three point field goals, third in triple-doubles, and is the only player in NBA history with at least 15,000 points, 10,000 assists, and 7,000 rebounds.
