This weekend, Jason Kidd will be in attendance as one of Oakland’s best basketball products enters the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Nine-time NBA All-Star Gary Payton, a friend and mentor to Jason dating back to their days playing against each other on Oakland playgrounds, will officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon in Springfield, Massachusetts.
J-Kidd will have to wait a few years before he is eligible to officially join Payton in Springfield, but he still wanted to be on hand to help honor his friend. The relationship between Jason and Gary goes back to their childhood, when Jason was coached by Gary’s father. Al Payton introduced the two young men and the older Gary took Jason under his wing in his own sort of way. Ever since, the two have been friends.
Watch J-Kidd talk about their relationship, how Gary taught him some hard basketball and life lessons and their NBA battles in an exclusive interview for JasonKidd.com below:
