TJ Kidd has had a front-row seat to some of the most memorable Nets moments of the last few decades, and he’s not short on stories. From the championship chase in Brooklyn to his father’s coaching turn and the team’s current reset, Kidd brought a rare family perspective to the Only Net Fans You Know podcast.
Growing up around the franchise gave him a different kind of access. He talked about the New Jersey Nets years, the 2013-14 Brooklyn team, and the players who left a mark on him along the way. Kobe Bryant stood out as one of his favorite memories from that era; Kidd said he got a photo with Bryant during the NBA Finals and has always held Kobe in a special place because of his time around the league.
He also remembered learning from a cast of veterans who helped shape those years, naming Brian Scalabrine, Cliff Robinson, Jason Collins and Nenad Krstić. Being around that group, Kidd said, gave him a chance to watch people who had already spent years in the NBA and soak in how they carried themselves.
The biggest twist in that era came when Jason Kidd retired from playing and almost immediately moved into coaching. TJ said he didn’t even know his father was done playing for the New York Knicks until the news broke. A few days later, Jason Kidd was hired by the Nets, returning to the organization that had played such a major role in his career.
That hire was quickly followed by one of the franchise’s boldest moves: the trade that brought Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry from Boston to join Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. TJ had a unique view of it all because he was working as an NBA Draft intern that year, and later he went back to the Nets’ war room and saw the deal up on the board.
He understood the logic at the time. The roster, on paper, looked good enough to challenge Miami. But he also pointed out that the age of the group made things difficult, and the team never quite reached the level people imagined.
The start was rough. Brooklyn opened 11-21, and TJ remembered the pressure and tension that came with championship expectations. The locker room had a lot of big personalities, including Garnett and Pierce, and Jason Kidd had to sort through all of it while learning on the job as a first-time head coach.
The Nets did stabilize, though, finishing 44-38 and going on a 33-7 run later in the season. TJ said it was fascinating to watch his father manage former peers and try to get a roster full of different personalities moving in the same direction.
Garnett also came up in the conversation when Kidd revisited the infamous soda incident involving Jason Kidd and Tyshawn Taylor against the Lakers. At first, he didn’t know what had happened.
Once he saw another angle on Twitter, he realized the spill was intentional, part of an attempt to get a timeout the Nets didn’t have. It still led to a $50,000 fine.
Even with how that season unfolded, Kidd said there were plenty of good memories attached to that group. He recalled meeting Rihanna in a hallway at Barclays Center, seeing his father’s jersey retired, and watching standout moments from Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. Lopez, in particular, remains one of his favorite people, and Kidd said he believes the Nets should retire his jersey.
Kidd also weighed in on where Brooklyn stands now. If he were running the team, he said he would keep Jordi Fernández as head coach and give the roster time before making major changes. He floated the idea of moving Michael Porter Jr.’s contract for a draft pick or a useful role player, but stressed that the rebuild should be handled patiently.
He likes the direction of the young core, too. Kidd singled out Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Dëmin, saying the Nets are moving the right way and that fans shouldn’t rush to judge young players. Brown Jr., he said, could be especially important to the team’s ceiling, but he needs time to grow like the rest of the group.
That patience carried over to his view of Brooklyn’s 24.5-win over/under. Kidd picked the over, citing the young talent on the roster and the importance of staying healthy. He again pointed to Brown Jr. as someone who could break out and lift the team higher than expected.
For TJ Kidd, this is all personal. The Nets aren’t just another team he followed from a distance. He grew up around them, watched his father play and coach there, and picked up memories that still shape how he sees the franchise now.
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