DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The Dallas Mavericks officially introduced new head coach Jason Kidd, and new general manager Nico Harrison on Monday, beginning a new era at the American Airlines Center.
Harrison, who was hired by the Mavs over the weekend, worked the majority of the last 19 years as an executive a Nike, where he spent extensive time with current and former NBA stars such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, among others.
“We are very excited to bring Nico Harrison to Dallas and have him join our organization,” said Mark Cuban. “Nico brings a wealth of basketball knowledge along with both executive and leadership skills. He has proven to have a unique eye for talent on and off the court. I’m looking forward to watching Nico lead the Mavs to new heights.”
Prior to his career in the corporate world, Harrison played college basketball at Montana State, as well as spending seven years as a professional basketball player in Belgium.
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“It’s a true honor to be the general manager of the Mavericks; an iconic franchise with a rich history not only within the NBA, but across sports,” said Harrison. “I’m grateful for this rare opportunity and want to thank Mark and the rest of the organization for putting their trust in me to move the team to the next level.”
Kidd, who helped lead the Mavs to the 2011 NBA title, was a front runner for the position from the beginning, even receiving an endorsement from former Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle following his exit from the franchise.
“We are excited to welcome J-Kidd and his family back to Dallas,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. “He possesses a winning mentality that carried him through a Hall of Fame career as a player and has helped him successfully transition to the NBA’s coaching ranks. We are eager for him to get to work and lead our franchise and talented young players into the future.”
Kidd began that career with the Brooklyn Nets, where he went 44-38 in his only season, finished second in the Atlantic Division, and lost in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
That offseason the Milwaukee Bucks then traded two second-round picks to the Nets for the coaching rights to Kidd, where he would spending the next four seasons.
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During that time, Kidd's record was 139-152, while his teams finished with a record above .500 just once, and failing to win a single playoff series.
“Dallas has meant so much to me as a player and I want to thank Mark Cuban for the opportunity to return as a head coach,” Kidd said. “I am excited to get to work with this young, hungry, and incredibly talented team and to continue to build a winning legacy for the Mavericks organization.”
Kidd was subsequently fired as the Bucks head coach after a 23-22 start to the 2017-18 season, where he would eventually be replaced by Mike Budenholzer.
Since 2019, Kidd has served as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping his team to the 2019-2020 NBA title.