Jason Kidd Hired as Net's Head Coach

Jason Kidd jumped from playing to coaching in less than two weeks.The Brooklyn Nets named Kidd their coach Wednesday in a rare and speedy transition from uniform to suit.

Kidd made the then-New Jersey Nets relevant, leading them to two Eastern Conference championships. They lost in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002 and the San Antonio Spurs in 2003.

"Jason Kidd has a long and legendary history with the Nets and with the city of New York," Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in a statement. "He has the fire in the belly we need and has achieved as a player everything the Brooklyn Nets are striving to achieve. We believe he will lead us there. Welcome home, Jason."

Kidd, who had a stellar 19-year NBA career, retired from the New York Knicks on June 3 and quickly set his sights on the Nets' job, convincing general manager Billy King he is the right person at the right time.

"Jason is a proven winner and leader with an incredible wealth of basketball knowledge and experience," King said in a news release. "This will be a natural transition for him to move into the role of head coach, as he embodies the tough, smart and team-first mentality that we are trying to establish in Brooklyn."

The choice also has the support of Nets point guard Deron Williams, who is friends with Kidd.

"This is a tremendous opportunity to be named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and it's a role I have been studying for over the course of my playing days," Kidd said in a news release. "Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable, and that's how I expect to coach this basketball team. I am truly excited about this next phase of my basketball career."