Jason Kidd calls it a career

Jun 3, 2013 - 8:43 PM New York, NY (Sports Network) - Jason Kidd has decided to retire.

A 10-time NBA All-Star point guard, Kidd spent the 2012-13 season with the New York Knicks. He also played for Dallas, Phoenix and the New Jersey Nets in a 19-year career.

"My time in professional basketball has been an incredible journey, but one that must come to an end after 19 years," said Kidd in a statement released by the Knicks. "As I reflect on my time with the four teams I represented in the NBA, I look back fondly at every season and thank each every one of my teammates and coaches that joined me on the court."

Kidd averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds in 1,391 career games. He broke in with Dallas in 1994-95 and shared Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill, who also announced his retirement just a few days ago.

The 40-year-old University of California product led the league in assists per game five times and his 12,091 career assists are second on the all-time list, behind only Hall of Famer John Stockton. He also had 2,684 steals, again trailing only Stockton on the all-time list.

In addition to his 10 All-Star Game selections, Kidd was a First-Team All-NBA choice five times and an NBA All-Defensive First-Team selection four times. He led the Nets to consecutive NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003, and finally won an NBA championship in his second go-round with Dallas in 2011.

The Mavericks selected Kidd with the second overall pick of the 1994 NBA Draft and he played for Dallas until a December 1996 trade to Phoenix. The Suns dealt him to the Nets in July 2001 and he remained with New Jersey until February 2008 when the Mavericks again acquired him.

After four more seasons in Dallas, Kidd signed as a free agent last summer with the Knicks and gave New York depth in the backcourt. He played 76 games this past season, starting 48, and averaged 6.0 points with 3.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds to help New York win the Atlantic Division.

"Veteran leadership on and off the court was a huge factor for our team that recorded 54 victories and an Atlantic Division crown," said Knicks coach Mike Woodson. "Jason provided an incredible voice inside our locker room and I considered it an honor to say I coached him."

Kidd also won a pair of Olympic gold medals with the United States, first at the 2000 Games in Sydney and again at the Beijing Games in 2008.