Jason Kidd may not be ready to close the door on coaching. But the former Dallas Mavericks coach could soon have a very different view of the NBA. The Hall of Famer is in advanced talks with ESPN. On the surface, the timing makes the opportunity look like a sudden career pivot. Broadcasting has been on his radar for more than a decade.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“ESPN is in advanced talks to hire former Mavericks coach Jason Kidd to add him to their NBA studio coverage,” NBA insider Marc Stein reported on X on Monday. “Kidd was fired by the Mavericks in May after five seasons and two weeks after Masai Ujiri’s hiring as president of basketball operations.”
Then, The Athletic added to the development, stating that J-Kidd would join the network’s pregame and halftime studio show, “NBA Countdown.” He would fill the vacant chair left by former Denver head coach Michael Malone, who left ESPN earlier this year to take over coaching responsibilities at the University of North Carolina.
Jason Kidd had previously mentioned broadcasting before he became a coach. When he retired in 2013 after 19 NBA seasons, he already had two possible paths in mind.
“I think it is the right time,” Kidd told ESPN at the time. “When you think about 19 years, it has been a heckuva ride. Physically, I want to be able to participate in activities with my kids so it has taken a toll. It is time to move on and think about maybe coaching or doing some broadcasting.” He ultimately chose coaching.
Just weeks after retiring, Jason Kidd became the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. That decision launched the second act of his basketball career and eventually took him to Milwaukee before he landed in Dallas. The broadcasting option never disappeared completely, though.
Kidd already had a taste of the ESPN studio before returning to the sidelines. In March 2019, ESPN featured him on NBA Countdown alongside Michelle Beadle, Paul Pierce and Stan Van Gundy. Kidd helped preview the night’s games and provided halftime analysis. It was only a brief stop.
In fact, when he appeared on ESPN’s The Jump that same month, his message was firmly about getting back on the sideline. Kidd said he wanted to coach “at any level” and explained that his year away had allowed him to refocus and regain his energy. So, ESPN is not an entirely unfamiliar environment for Jason Kidd.
Let’s not forget that the former Mavs coach has not publicly suggested that he is finished with coaching.
“Yeah, I think I love coaching. I love to watch players get better; I want to win. I want to help the team win,” Kidd said in August. He added that he would “never say no to coaching.”
That makes the reported ESPN opportunity less of a retirement plan and more of an opportunity to be around the league before resuming coaching.
Jason Kidd’s Dallas tenure ended in May after five seasons with a 205-205 overall record. The Mavericks moved on following Masai Ujiri’s arrival as president of basketball operations and eventually hired Dusty May as his replacement. The ending came after a difficult 2025-26 campaign, but Kidd’s Dallas run cannot be reduced to that final season.
He guided the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals in 2022. Two years later, Dallas reached the NBA Finals before losing to the Boston Celtics. But it’s not just his coaching stint that makes him valuable for ESPN.
He spent 19 seasons in the NBA, won a championship with Dallas in 2011, and became one of the greatest point guards of his generation. Then he moved directly into coaching, giving him a perspective that spans both sides of the locker room.
More than 13 years ago, Jason Kidd named broadcasting as one of the two possible directions after his playing career. He did the role for a brief period, while coaching remained a priority. And now, could be back working with ESPN again.