“Jason Kidd had an eye that was black and blue”: When the Dallas Mavericks’ head coach redefined his Nets career with a display of rugged determination in the 2002 NBA playoffs

Jason Kidd had a Hall of Fame career as a player before he became an NBA head coach. We look back at one of his defining moments as a player.

For every professional athlete, there comes a time in their careers when they’re tested sorely to the limit. This phenomenon is all the more pronounced in the NBA fraternity. After all, these big guys play a game every other day during their regular season calendar.

Jason Kidd played for 19 eventful seasons in the NBA, having been drafted by the Mavericks in 1994. The 5-time NBA assists leader proved his true mettle after a couple of seasons of being mocked as Ason Kidd (because he apparently didn’t have a J).

He shone throughout the rest of his career everywhere he went. His Phoenix Suns tenure was quite tumultuous by itself. But the situation that made him into a true hoops legend was the one that he entered in New Jersey, with the Nets.

Also Read – Gabrielle Union reveals the hilariously unorthodox method that Jason Kidd used to break up with her in high school

How Jason Kidd defined his legacy through a Nets playoff series against the Charlotte Bobcats

Jason Kidd entered his first season with the New Jersey Nets with a resume that included 5 straight playoff appearances with the Phoenix Suns.

His next mission at hand was to bring the Nets to relevance, which he duly did. Kidd’s addition alongside some solid pieces around him got them to 52 wins that year – a 26-win improvement from the season before.

But disaster struck during the playoffs as Kidd suffered a bad clash while playing against Charlotte. His head was split open in Game 3 of their first-round series.

Undaunted by these events, however, Kidd came back to the series with a vengeance. He shaved his head clean and took the court with his awe-struck teammates, who saw him go way above and beyond the line of his duty.

“He got hurt in Game 3. We were up in the series, 2-0, and his face got mashed. At halftime he was lying on a table and the doctors were looking at him.”

“His eye was black and blue, swollen shut. He went back out to try to play. We ended up losing the game, but the effort that he put in was just unbelievable.”

Also Read – Jason Kidd chooses LeBron James over Michael Jordan, praises his complete skillset.

Tales like these serve as motivation for upcoming legends from generations that have yet to take the NBA courts. We hope to see more such heroic performances from the NBA world in this year’s playoffs as well.