When Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle heard that Jason Kidd was going to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer, he already knew this prestigious award was going to be a foregone conclusion for the big-time playmaker.
After all, Kidd was one of the greatest players in NBA history. And his greatness was on full display in 2011 when he led the Mavs – coached by Carlisle – to the franchise’s only NBA title.
“This is certainly no shock,” Carlisle said of Kidd’s Hall of Fame honors. “It’s very much expected.
Former Mavs point guard Steve Nash also was a mental tough player who was difficult to handle. A two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and eight-time All-Star, Nash will join Kidd as a Hall of Fame inductee this summer.
Nash played for the Mavs from 1998-2004, but did his most damage with the Suns, where he was the league’s MVP in 2005 and ’06.
“Even though I didn’t work with Nash here, he’s so well-known and so beloved, and was such a great player here that I feel like he was around,” Carlisle said. “And he certainly was a big problem to deal with when we competed against him.
“His career had similarities to Jason’s in that when Steve was drafted it took a while for him to even consistently play. And once he got with (coach) Mike (D’Antoni) in Phoenix he won two MVP’s in a row, and that’s just an amazing accomplishment.”
https://www.mavs.com/two-mavs-pg-greats-inducted-hall-fame/
