YouTube Gold: Jason Kidd’s Greatest Passes

Jason Kidd was an unusual player in that he never much cared about scoring. He’s not the only one of course. Some people are specialists. Dennis Rodman basically rebounded and defended. He’d get a rebound, give the ball to a teammate, and get ready to rebound again.

Shane Battier was called the No-Stats All-Star because he could have an immense impact on a game with minimal statistical impact.

Some guys are hired for specific skills and that’s how they make their living in the NBA. Wilt Chamberlain told Mark Eaton that he could make a living blocking shots and Eaton listened.

But Kidd was talented enough to do a lot of different things on the court. He could have scored plenty. But what he preferred to do, what he was born to do, was to run a team, both on offense and defense.

Above all, he was a superb passer. Watch this video and you’ll see a guy who got far more pleasure out of giving the ball up to teammates. And when he played in the 2000 Olympics and for Mike Krzyzewski in the 2008 Olympics, Kidd basically didn't shoot. He had the most talent around him that he ever had, and he got to orchestrate those teams to gold medals.

And for Kidd, that was enough.