Hall of Famer Jason Kidd close to joining ESPN as NBA analyst, per reports - USA Today
Jason Kidd is reportedly "in advanced talks" to join ESPN for the next chapter of his career.
According to The Athletic and NBA reporter Marc Stein on Monday, Oct. 5, the Hall of Fame point guard is close to a deal to become an ESPN studio analyst and a member of "NBA Countdown." The show currently features Brian Windhorst and Kendrick Perkins with Malika Andrews hosting. Michael Malone left the program in April when he became the head coach of North Carolina's basketball team.
When USA TODAY Sports reached out to ESPN, a representative declined to comment.
In his playing days, Kidd was a nine-time All-Defensive player, a 10-time All-Star and was the 1994-95 Rookie of the Year. He spent time with the Phoenix Suns, the then-New Jersey Nets and played one season with the New York Knicks. He was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and won the 2011 NBA championship with them. He coached the Mavericks from the 2021-22 season until this spring when he and the team "mutually agreed to part ways."
Kidd, 53, has twice been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: as a player in 2018 and again in 2025 as a member of Team USA's gold-medal winning 2008 Olympic team.
Kidd first became a head coach with one season at the helm of the Brooklyn Nets with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry on the roster. He had a stint with the Milwaukee Bucks but was fired midway through his fourth season there. He also spent time as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers where he helped guide the team to the 2020 NBA championship in the Bubble.
The 2026-27 NBA season tips off on Oct. 20 with three games. The Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons face off in an afternoon tilt, followed by an evening doubleheader which begins with LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers visiting the defending champion New York Knicks. Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs host two-time consecutive Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of the Western Conference Finals to cap things off.
