The Dallas Mavericks head coach just made his latest investment in women's basketball, saying it is the late Kobe Bryant who inspires him to further the game.
Just over six years ago, the sports world was shaken with the tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and a group of "GiGi's" teammates and family, who were involved in a helicopter crash on their way to a girls basketball tournament.
After Bryan't retirement, he took a significant interest in not just his daughter's sports upbringing but all of women's sports, regularly supporting the WNBA and other professional leagues.
That has made an influence on Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who has two daughters.
"It starts with home, your kids," Kidd explained to Bloomberg regarding his passion for youth sports. "Having a 16 year old, a 13 year old and an eight year old...
"But when you talk about the initiative of women's basketball, it started with Kobe ... I felt like I wanted to help bring a bigger light because I thought the initiative he was doing was so great for women's basketball."
Kidd explains that, five years ago, he founded the Jason Kidd Select girls basketball program in California. His entire JK Select initiative also operates a volleyball and baseball program for multiple age groups and boys and girls.
This week, the Mavs coach brought the project closer to home.
Kidd has launched a new branch of JK Select in the Dallas area. He hopes that the program, which has already helped 45 girls to receive NCAA Division I scholarships for basketball, can grow even more.
Various players for Jason Kidd Select South met with the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Fame point guard in Dallas this week at the Mavericks practice courts.
"Yeah, he’s awesome," said Jaeda Ramnanan, via NBC5 in Dallas. "Getting to meet him, getting to know him was really fun."
Kidd's new project is "designed to develop and elevate elite female basketball players across North Texas. The initiative aims to increase exposure, build skills and help young women navigate the changing landscape of athletics."
The coach said, beyond basketball, his program helps prepare its players for nuances of the modern college landscape that other institutions forget to teach.
"When you talk about as you get older, NIL has changed the game. It’s now coming into high school. It’s in college," Kidd said.
“Our job as leaders, we’re supposed to help them navigate these new areas. And hopefully we can do that."