With his 18th season in the NBA at its midway point, Jason Kidd continues to man the point with the enthusiasm and vigor of a rookie.

Coming off his first ever NBA championship, Jason set out in 2012 to add another ring to his finger.

After a rough start, the Mavs are back on track and enter the second half of a grueling condensed season once again ready to make a run at the NBA crown.

While helping his team to 20 wins, J-Kidd accomplished some career-long goals in the first half of the season. It started with a banner raising and continued with a ring ceremony.

He’s also been climbing lists both active and all-time, breaking records and passing some of the best ever to play the game.

His most recent feat came just a week ago when J-Kidd surpassed Michael Jordan for second-place on the NBA’s all-time career steals list.

"Jason Kidd’s career has been amazing," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "Think about 18 years, almost two decades, of top-notch excellence."

BY THE NUMBERS
In his 18th season, No. 2 continues to excel. A look inside the numbers shows just how well he’s done for himself:

6 number of games so far this season that J-Kidd has posted three or more steals.
11 season-high number of dimes for No. 2 in a Jan 19 win over Utah.
13 season-high points on 4-for-6 in a win over the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 15.
14 games out of 24 the Mavs have won with Jason in the starting lineup.
16 number of games that Jason has led the team in assists so far this season.
28 Minutes per game that Jason is averaging in his 23 games this season.
88.9 Jason’s 2011-2012 free throw percentage, on pace for a career-high.
485 double-doubles for No. 2, ranking him third among active players.
1,290 games played by J-Kidd, 1st among active players. He has started 1,277 of them.
2,519 Steals for Jason in his career, second all-time after he passed Jordan on Feb. 20.
11,705 Total number of career assists for No. 2 — second all-time.

WORDS FROM THE WISE

Oft touted as a legend, the seemingly ageless J-Kidd serves as an inspiration to NBA players both young and old — some of whom grew up modeling their game after his.

Jason’s leadership and veteran guile continue to impress his peers 18 years in (Getty Images)

The leadership that Jason brings to the game, both in a technical and emotional sense, is second-to-none. Teammates and opponents marvel at what he has done and continues to do.

New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin on being matched up against his idol:

"He’s a legend out there. No question, people talk about him everywhere I go. Obviously it’s an honor to be able to play against him. I looked up to him a lot and growing up was a fan of what he did. It’ll be good to play against him and see where I’m at."

Teammate Delonte West on giving up the reigns after J-Kidd returned from his injury:

"It’s a good time right now to talk about a legend in his own rights who can still do it. He’s a great leader on the floor. I think it’s good to get him back these few games before the All-Star break so he can kind of get his flow back. He’s one of the best to ever do it. Period."

Teammate Shawn Marion:

"J-Kidd is such a technician. I’ve got so much respect for that guy. He’s unbelievable on both ends of the floor."

Teammate Lamar Odom

"He was missed. If you ever played football, you know you need your quarterback. J-Kidd is our quarterback. He knows how to get guys shots and control the tempo."

Teammate Jason Terry on J-Kidd’s role as the floor general:

"Jason Kidd is our leader. He makes things go."

President Barack Obama, who ribbed Jason at the team’s White House visit — a rite of passage for the reigning champs:

"People said that Jason Kidd was too old, but I will say…this is the first time I’ve been with some world champions who are my contemporaries."

Fellow 1994-1995 Co-Rookie of the Year recipient Grant Hill on his rooting interest in last year’s playoffs:

"I was unbelievably excited for him last year to win (the NBA title). He was truly deserving. It was sort of the icing on the cake to just a wonderful career. And to know that I’ve been linked to him, I was pulling for him. I won’t be pulling for him tonight, but I was then."

COACHES IN HIS CORNER

Throughout his time on the hardwood, J-Kidd has had the opportunity to impress many coaches as well, though most would jokingly admit that they’d rather not play against the wily warhorse.

Regardless of team affiliation, there is an air of mutual respect for what the world champion has accomplished in his time in the NBA.

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins on J-Kidd’s court vision:

"He is so smart. There is no player in the NBA that knows the game better than he does. He’s got a great feel

[for the game]. I’ve always said that he plays the game with a rearview mirror. He can see not only what’s in front on him, but he can see what’s behind him. I’ve known Jason for a long, long time. He is a Hall of Famer, a champion and he is a tremendous player. "

Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle on the team’s stretch of games without No. 2 as he rehabbed a calf injury:

"[Jason’s] a big part of our heart and soul. When we’re without him, we can win some games but we’re not the same team."

Duke University and USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski on J-Kidd’s impact for the US National team after leading the USA back to gold in Beijing:

"One of the reasons we have a program right now is because of his leadership, his maturity.

He’s the best. I love Jason, and appreciate his commitment to USA Basketball over the years. But especially as we started to form the program [that we have] right now, he was an essential ingredient for the success we’ve had so far."

Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle before presenting J-Kidd with his championship ring:

"A basketball genius, and, without question, still the competitive engine that drives this franchise. The greatest point guard in Mavericks history and one of the greatest point guards in NBA history: Jason Kidd."

AS SEEN BY

Perhaps nothing can better sum up the dynamic multi-faceted play of J-Kidd this season than these two excerpts — one that praises Kidd the offensive genius, and the other Kidd the defensive wizard.

His well-rounded play and the ability to be a threat at both ends of the court have carried the Mavericks to a multitude of wins thus far this season. Ronnie Flores of ESPN.com on Kidd’s legacy in the Golden State:

"Kidd still holds state career records for assists (1,165) and steals (719). Since 1977, Kidd would rank alongside John Williams (1984) as the best overall high school player in California and his dominance led to team success. In fact, no Northern California team ever won the CIF Division I state title before Kidd came along."

Rob Mahoney of The Two Man Game on No. 2’s solid defensive performance in quieting the Timberwolves’ Ricky Rubio on Jan. 25:

"Although he couldn’t totally prevent Rubio from finding his teammates, Kidd smothered the rookie on shot attempt after shot attempt, turning potential layups into difficult runners and difficult runners into flailing misses. The Mavs didn’t do enough as a team to capitalize on Kidd’s strong individual defensive play, but it’s nice nonetheless to see him really working to be an effective defender again."

IN HIS OWN WORDS
Age, as they say, is just a number, and no one could better personify this popular adage than Jason Kidd himself. Though sidelined briefly with back and calf injuries early this season, the 38-year-old has never looked worse for the wear at any point. Most importantly, 18 years in, No. 2 is still having fun:

"It’s great to be back to defend our title and play the game that we love."