On Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news that Jason Kidd has been dismissed from his role as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. This move comes after the Mavericks finished 26-56 this season, the worst record posted by the team in Kidd’s five-year stint as head coach.
Charania added that the Basketball Hall of Famer had “four years and well over $40 million left on his Mavericks contract.” Despite this, the decision was made by team owner Patrick Dumont and new Mavs president Masai Ujiri to let go of Kidd.
The past two years have been eventful for Jason Kidd, to say the least. In February 2025, his star player Luka Doncic was shipped to the LA Lakers in a three-team deal that brought Anthony Davis to Dallas. As Doncic thrived in the City of Angels, the Mavericks struggled to get off the ground in their new era as Davis and Kyrie Irving dealt with major injuries.
Kidd and his team had a chance to start anew in the 2025-26 season, which started with the acquisition of Cooper Flagg as the top overall pick in the NBA draft. Though Flagg’s arrival was a much needed jolt of energy, the injury bug continued to hound the Mavericks locker room, derailing their hopes of becoming a playoff contender. On top of this, Kidd faced criticism for his handling of Flagg, specifically his decision to use the young star as a point guard.
As Mavs head coach, Kidd finished with a 202-205 record. He took the team to the playoffs twice, and both times, the Mavs reached the Western Conference Finals. In 2024, with Doncic and Irving in tow, Dallas went all the way to the championship series, where they were defeated 4-1 by the Boston Celtics.
“That’s a Shocker”: Viral Clip Shows Moment When “Inside the NBA” Crew Found Out About Jason Kidd’s Dismissal as Mavs HC
The news of Jason Kidd had the entire NBA community buzzing on Tuesday, and in the case of the “Inside the NBA” crew, they found out this development as they were live on national TV.
A viral clip shows Charles Barkley looking down at his phone and reacting in astonishment.
“Oh my goodness. Jason Kidd just got fired. Wow. Man, that’s a shocker,” Barkley said.
Barkley and his “Inside” buddies will certainly have more to say as more details emerge on the Kidd situation.
