Nets To Retire No. 5 of Jason Kidd In Preseason

The Brooklyn Nets announced yesterday that they plan to retire Jason Kidd’s No. 5 during an October 17th preseason game against the defending champion Miami Heat.

This is not breaking news by any  means as rookie Mason Plumlee let the cat out of the bag a few weeks ago although no one knew when it would occur.

This information now allows everyone to get ready to celebrate the greatest Net in NBA history and give their appreciation for what he helped the organization accomplish in New Jersey.

One other important fact is that the Nets have now taken a little bit of pressure off the newly constructed team and put the focus on the Kidd

The house will now be packed on October 17th even though it is a preseason game and the Nets continue to show the world how to market a team and take advantage of all avenues for revenue.

A once menial preseason game has now turned into a must be there game to give thanks to “The Captain.”

[quote_box]PRESS RELEASE

“My warmest congratulations to Jason as we commemorate his outstanding career as an NBA player and his unparalleled contribution to the Nets franchise,” said Nets Principal Owner Mikhail Prokhorov. As one chapter closes, another will soon be written and I know that we are all looking forward to Jason’s continued successes.”

“This honor is richly deserved,” said Nets General Manager Billy King. “Jason is firmly established in the Nets’ record books as the greatest player in the team’s NBA history, and the retirement of his #5 is a fitting conclusion to his legacy as a Nets’ player.”

“This is a very humbling honor and one that I will always cherish,” said Kidd. “There can be no greater recognition of an athlete’s time with any team than to have his number retired, and this gesture by the Nets organization validates a very significant portion of my career that was spent as a player with this franchise.”

Kidd becomes the sixth player in franchise history have his number raised to the rafters, joining Drazen Petrovic (#3), John Williamson (#23), Bill Melchionni (#25), Julius Erving (#32) and Charles ‘Buck’ Williams (#52), who was the most recent honoree in April, 1999.[/quote_box]