New Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd: 'I've got a lot to learn about coaching'

Jason Kidd is a rookie once again. Kidd, who retired as a player two weeks ago after 19 seasons and has no coaching experience, was introduced on Thursday as the new head coach of the Nets.

“This is a great challenge and so I’m looking forward to this,” Kidd said in a news conference at the Barclays Center. “I’ve got a lot to learn about coaching, but when I played the game, I looked at myself as an extension of the coach. Now, I look to Deron [Williams] to become that guy.”

The relationship between Kidd and Williams, the Nets star point guard, dates back to when the two helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Last offseason, rumors arose that Kidd would return to the Nets and back up Williams, but Kidd elected to sign with the Knicks.

As the new leader of the Knicks’ crosstown rival, Kidd’s arrival in Brooklyn adds yet another dimension to the ever-evolving tug-of-war for notoriety in New York City.

“I think it’s a great rivalry,” Kidd said. “It’s great for the city, for the people that live here. So hopefully Brooklyn has the upper hand at the end of the day.”

At 40 years old, Kidd is the third-youngest head coach in the NBA.