“Yea, Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting better but I’m still the boss”: How Jason Kidd showcased his ‘power’ by benching the Bucks MVP even after being proven wrong by the ‘Greek Freak’

Jason Kidd benched Giannis after he proved Kidd wrong about a certain defensive coverage from a previous game as a show of superiority. 

The 2021 NBA offseason saw the hiring of a couple problematic head coaches, mainly with both Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd getting the Portland and Dallas jobs, respectively. The former however, settled a civil suit outside of court over 2 decades ago while Kidd on the other hand, has had issues with the law and with players in his locker rooms as recent as a couple years ago. 

Much has been said about Jason Kidd and his time as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. He is usually attributed for ‘unlocking’ Giannis Antetokounmpo’s potential as a ball handling playmaker by forcing him to being the point guard for the Bucks.

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Though this helped the 2x MVP reach all-time great status, Kidd has done more wrong than right during his time as the bench boss for Milwaukee. This was highlighted quite recently in the release of a biography on Giannis by Mirin Fader. 

Giannis proved Jason Kidd wrong and the latter still benched him. 

An excerpt from the biography showcased just how many mind games Jason Kidd played on his Bucks players. Even stars like Giannis weren’t exempt from receiving the same treatment role players like Larry Sanders were given.  

Aside from the infamous ‘Christmas cancellation’ story, Kidd did things like unnecessarily bench the future Finals MVP even after being proven wrong. In the book, it chronicles a time where the Bucks messed up a defensive assignment against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

At halftime of that game, Jason Kidd called put Giannis for the mess-up but the latter insisted that he was not the one to do so. After pulling up film from that specific play, the ‘Greek Freak’ was proven right. Instead of swallowing his pride, Kidd benched Giannis for the entirety of the second half of that game.

One of the less dangerous but nonetheless unhinged parts (to me at least) was the time Kidd called out Giannis in front of the team for a mistake, was proven wrong, and then sat Giannis anyway. pic.twitter.com/cdl75i0DN2

— Dr. Elliot Kupferberg’s Water Bottle (@FakeTJHawke) August 9, 2021

It’s safe to say inserting a coach like this into a team with budding superstars like Luka Doncic might not be the greatest idea. However, considering how close Mark Cuban and J-Kidd were due to their 2011 championship run together, this hiring felt as though it were inevitable.