Shaquille O’Neal Digs Up Jason Kidd’s Drink Spilling Strategy From 2013 That Cost Him $50,000

Jason Kidd took over head coaching duties of the Brooklyn Nets for a season in 2013, ending with a dismal 32-50 record. Mid-way through the season, Coach Kidd pulled out all the stop signs to ensure a desperately needed win for his team against the Lakers. He even went so far as to purposefully spill a drink on the hardwood, in an attempt to get a time-out to draw out a play.

Unfortunately for Kidd, the Nets would lose the contest as the game-tying shot from the Brooklyn side never fell, and would later get fined $50,000 for his antics.

With 8.3 seconds left on the clock and no timeouts available, Coach Kidd asked Brooklyn reserve, Tyshawn Taylor, to bump into him, causing his drink to spill. While the Nets were awarded some time to draw up a play, ultimately it made no difference to the result as the Lakers won 99-94. Kidd later denied allegations that he had deliberately spilled the drink.

Lakers Legend Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t seem to think that Coach Kidd’s actions were innocent at all, even posting a breakdown clip of the incident on his Instagram story. In the video, Kidd could be seen talking to Taylor, even telling the Brooklyn reserve to bump into him on occasion.

After the game, Coach Kidd was asked about the incident but he continued to provide arguments for his innocence. Just a few days later, the legendary point guard admitted to purposefully spilling the drink and the league slapped him with a $50,000 fine the very next day. He even talked about it while taking part in an ESPN show.

Jason Kidd revisits his drink-spilling incident with ESPN

Even after being fined, Jason Kidd’s ‘spill a drink’ strategy has somehow found a way into the annals of NBA ‘highlight’ history. Considered one of the smartest on-the-fly decisions, Kidd was even asked to review the play once again during his 2019 visit to the set of ESPN.

While on the show, The Jump, veteran analyst Rachel Nichols asked him about the incident,

“So we have no timeout, I need to make a substitution. Slippery hands…it was all about winning. The crazy thing about that whole situation besides the fine, which was a little too much, was that Paul [Paul Pierce] got a great look to tie the game.”

Looking back, Coach Kidd did admit that the singular play cost “way too much”, and probably wasn’t worth it considering that the Nets ended up losing the contest. But for a competitor like him, winning seems to be above all, and the veteran Coach has shown that he is ready to pay a hefty price to get it.