Hoops Habit
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Best Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee from each NBA franchise

By Daniel Lubofsky

INGLEWOOD, CA- JUNE 7: Magic Johnson #32 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles against Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls during Game Three of the 1991 NBA Finals on June 7, 1991 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1991 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CA- JUNE 7: Magic Johnson #32 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles against Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls during Game Three of the 1991 NBA Finals on June 7, 1991 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1991 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Jason Kidd, Brooklyn Nets
Jason Kidd, Brooklyn Nets (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Best Brooklyn Nets Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee: Jason Kidd

The point guard is arguably the most important position of the five on the court. They are an extension of the head coach, tasked with guiding teammates to allow the offense to run without a hitch. Some of the best floor generals can extract the absolute most from those they share the floor with.

Not often is one player able to make the type of immediate impact Jason Kidd had upon joining the New Jersey Nets in the summer of 2001. The Nets hadn’t qualified for the playoffs in four seasons and six of the last seven years, but it was Kidd who helped lead the team to its most successful stretch of basketball since making the move to the NBA in 1977.

Teams contending for titles tend to be littered with star talent, but that wasn’t the case for these Nets squads. In both 2002 and 2003, Kidd was the lone All-Star on the roster, yet his greatness led New Jersey to consecutive Finals outings.

Losses to both the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs stung quite a bit, but just getting to that point was a surprise for a team that had yet to even qualify for the conference finals since making the move from the ABA. It also spoke volumes towards Kidd’s abilities as the leader without a single player averaging over 20 points a game.

Some of what Kidd brought to the table isn’t easily quantified, but plenty of his contributions found their way to the boxscore. He averaged 14.6 points, 9.1 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game across seven seasons in Jersey, leading the Nets to seven straight playoff outings and putting them on the NBA map.