he is only 36, but on an nba court, he is a senior citizen. he makes close to 20 million dollars a year, and still comes off as an underdog. he use to fly down the court, confident, carrying his teams to improbable victories. now, he sets up behind the three point line, in a noble attempt to sustain his relevance. he has proven there is a j in jason, but the speed of the young ones have become difficult for him to match. players he once could have punished now score on him rather frequently. and still, he plugs away. the clock is ticking, and all that is left is to win a championship. lebron and kobe admire him, so perhaps he winds up running alongside one of them. even in defeat, he has stood tall, proving that one can win while they lose. last night, he had 19 points and 9 assists, as his team was eliminated by the nuggets. he hit 5 3's. he even blocked a kenyon martin dunk, got slammed to the floor by k-mart afterward, and somehow got a foul called on him. for, when you get older, the league bails on you, and the calls go against you, as the money lies eleswhere. after that play, he hobbled around, refusing to come out of the game. years ago, he played most of a season on a knee that required surgery, and never once admitted even being in pain. whether his team wins or loses, he faces the media. he never hangs his head. he always credits the other team, and shakes hands after being defeated.
he has done things i'll never forget. he took a nets team that was the joke of the league and turned them into a title contender. he averaged a triple double against the celtics in the 2002 eastern conference finals, joining wilt and magic as the only players to do that in a conference final. he led the nets to an 8 and 2 record against the celtics in the 02 and 03 playoffs, giving me some of my favorite sports memories. i have seen this man make passes that are beyond incredible. he has thrown full court bounce passes, and alley oops off the backboard. by force of will, he has made his teams tough to beat, even when they shouldn't have been. he is the best rebounding guard i have ever seen, and with magic and stockton, the best passer i have ever seen. he is third all time in assists, and will pass mark jackson early next year for the second spot. he is third all time in triple doubles with 102, behind only oscar robertson and magic. he is near the top all time in steals and 3's made as well.
jason kidd soldiers on. he plays because he enjoys it. it is who he is. time is running out. he may well be a back up next year. his minutes will drop, but he will give his best as always. he will make no excuses. he will play hard but clean. he will give everything that he has.
the end is near, but it could be much worse. in boxing, he would be knocked out. in basketball, one can ease on out and become an important role player. he can be a model to the younger players, who will gain much from observing his work ethic and unselfishness.
they say an athlete dies twice. if so, then jason kidd struggles for breath, and as he does so, he serves as an inspiration to all those who admire him. it has been my pleasure to watch this man play the game of basketball. i will remain on the trail, observing the last years of this great player's career.
what else is there to do?
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