Why was Jason Kidd arrested in 2001? Closer look at Mavericks head coach's chequered history
On Jan. 19, 2001, Phoenix Suns point guard Jason Kidd was arrested by the Paradise Valley Police Department in Arizona due to a domestic violence chart. The arrest followed a day-long quarrel between Joumana, Kidd's wife, about feeding of their two-year-old son, Trey.
Kidd, who was 27 in 2001, admitted to striking his wife, which occurred around 5:30 p.m. The strike by Kidd resulted to a cut inside Joumana's mouth and swelling on her lip.
Kidd's arrest followed after Joumana had called 911 on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence assault. He was released at 9:00 p.m. to his attorney after being in custody for five hours.
The Paradise Valley judge ordered Kidd to remain in the custody of a third party until his court appearance. He was also prohibited from contacting his wife. Joumana Kidd stayed at their Paradise Valley home and declined medical treatment for her injuries.
In the 2000-01 season, Kidd played for the Phoenix Suns and averaged 16.9 points, 9.8 assists, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. His notable teammates back then were 22-year-old Shawn Marion, Penny Hardaway, Tom Gugliotta, Eliott Perry, Cliff Robinson, Mario Elie and Tony Delk.
The Suns that year were coached by Scott Skiles who led them to a 51-31 record and lost to Chris Webber and the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs.
On Jan. 9, 2007, Jason Kidd filed for divorce citing 'extreme cruelty' with his relationship with Joumana. He got married in Sept. 10, 2011 to Porschia Coleman, a former model.
Jason Kidd got fresh start with New Jersey Nets through off-season trade
In the summer of 2001, Jason Kidd was traded for NBA All-Star point guard Stephon Marbury to the New Jersey Nets. It was not a shocker to Kidd who aired his thoughts through KSAZ, a Phoenix television station.
"You're never guaranteed, one, to be able to play this game the day after you play a game," he said.
"The other side is, you're never guaranteed to be on that team forever, so you just got to take it with a grain of salt and show your talents every time you have that opportunity to play."
Jason Kidd played for seven seasons with the Nets and led an exciting group with Richard Jefferson, Kerry Kittles and Kenyon Martin to consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2022 and 2023.
For the Nets, he played 506 games, averaging14.6 points, 9.1 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per outing.