On Monday, Jason Kidd reportedly became the third person to meet with the Los Angeles Lakers regarding the team’s vacant head coaching job, following initial interviews with former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue and current Philadelphia 76ers assistant Monty Williams. However, the Basketball Hall of Fame point guard, despite his past coaching experience, doesn’t appear to be among the favorites to get the job at this point, as suggested by a recent report.
Kidd’s interview with Lakers management was first reported on by ESPN ‘s Dave McMenamin and the Los Angeles Times ‘ Broderick Turner, with both citing multiple sources in their respective reports on the matter. Both McMenamin and Turner wrote that Kidd was interviewed by Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and senior basketball advisor Kurt Rambis at the team’s El Segundo, California, practice facility, with the former pointing out that the meeting lasted “for several hours.”
In more than four seasons coaching the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks, Jason Kidd has compiled a win-loss record of 183-190 but has not coached in the NBA since the Bucks fired him midway through the 2017-18 season. Per ESPN , the 46-year-old Hall of Famer had teamed with Lakers superstar LeBron James in the past, as both suited up for the U.S. men’s basketball team in the 2008 Olympics. Kidd was also playing for the Dallas Mavericks when they defeated the James-led Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.
New story: Jason Kidd interviewed with Rob Pelinka and Kurt Rambis for the Lakers’ head coaching vacancy on Monday, league sources told ESPN https://t.co/4X2tVJVR1U
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 23, 2019
Despite Kidd’s past head coaching experience and credentials as one of the NBA’s top point guards for most of his 19-year playing career, the Los Angeles Times ‘ Turner wrote that he is “not expected to have a serious shot” at replacing Luke Walton as the Lakers’ head coach. As noted by Turner, the Lakers are also scheduled to have a second meeting with Lue, as the former Cavs coach will reportedly be interviewed for the first time by Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss. Likewise, Williams was said to be up for a second interview later in the week, though Turner’s sources did not provide any further information on this meeting.
Previously, Kidd appeared to show interest in coaching the Lakers when he was interviewed last month on ESPN’s The Jump , as he complimented the team’s championship-winning tradition and suggested that it would be hard to say no if he was given a chance to coach them.
“If you ever have the opportunity to wear the purple and gold, you can’t turn that down, as a coach, as a player, because they’re all about championships,” Kidd said, as quoted by Sporting News .
Aside from Kidd, Lue, and Williams, Miami Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard is also reportedly in the running for the Lakers’ coaching vacancy. According to the Los Angeles Times , Howard was scheduled to be interviewed by the Lakers on Tuesday.