The NBA is fining Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd $35,000 for profane language and public criticism of officiating. NBA Communications released a statement on the matter on Monday.
Following Dallas’ 111-107 loss to the Houston Rockets on Jan. 31, an annoyed Kidd used profanity in responding to a question from a reporter in the post-game presser.
Kidd transitioned from a Hall of Fame playing career to coaching in 2013, starting with the Brooklyn Nets. In his lone season there, he posted a 44-38 record, securing a playoff spot and advancing past the first round before a second-round exit.
He then coached the Milwaukee Bucks from 2014 to 2018, amassing a 139-152 regular-season mark. During this tenure, the Bucks made the playoffs twice, in 2015 and 2017, each time bowing out in the first round. Kidd was dismissed midway through the 2017-18 season.
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Following a stint as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he helped secure the 2020 NBA title, Kidd returned to Dallas as head coach in 2021, the franchise where he won a championship as a player in 2011.
His Mavericks era has featured peaks and valleys. The 2021-22 season delivered a 52-30 record and a run to the Western Conference Finals. A 38-44 finish in 2022-23 kept them out of the postseason. They surged back in 2023-24 with 50-32 and an NBA Finals appearance, losing to Boston in five games.
The 2024-25 year closed at 39-43, missing the playoffs again. Kidd inked a multi-year extension on October 15, 2025, and revamped his staff with additions like Frank Vogel and Popeye Jones. Drafting rookie Cooper Flagg brought optimism, but the 2025-26 campaign has struggled amid injuries to stars like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, sitting at 19-30 through 49 games.
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Kidd’s career regular-season record is 381-369, with a 31-33 playoff ledger.
Featured image via Jerome Miron/Imagn Images
