Earlier this month, a new biography of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was released. Written by Mirin Fader, Giannis: The Improbable Rise of a NBA MVP tells the story of Giannis’ youth and struggles as a teenager in the NBA. Fader wrote the book by interviewing former and current Bucks’ players, Giannis’ family members, and others who knew him in Greece. Throughout the course of her research, former coach Jason Kidd was exposed as a tyrant in the locker room. His mistreatment of players became well-known, specifically forcing Christmas Day practices and driving Larry Sanders to an emotional breakdown. In a recent interview, Kidd, now head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, responded to the allegations in the book.
Jason Kidd was painted as a villain in the book by Mirin Fader.
The former Bucks coach reportedly forced team practice on Christmas Day and verbally abused Larry Sanders. 👀 pic.twitter.com/zqIR1NLnO0
— Bucks Nation (@BucksNationCP) August 29, 2021
Was Jason Kidd Mocking Giannis?
Later on in the interview, Jason Kidd made a rather strange statement regarding his current relationship with Giannis:
“The cool thing is my relationship with Giannis goes beyond basketball. I talked to him a couple of hours after his son was born. Cool little name, Maverick. See, you guys didn’t know that. That’s how close we are.”
The quote started out just fine. After all, Kidd was Giannis’ coach for over three years. Giannis even praised Kidd for molding him as a player after he won the title this summer. There is no reason to think that they are not on good terms.
The comment about Giannis’ son, however, is very strange. It is not weird to think that Giannis did call Kidd after the birth of his son. What does make this comment awkward is the name Kidd gave: “Maverick.” Giannis’ son, as everyone knows, is named Liam. Either Kidd was making a very unfunny joke in his first press conference as coach of the Mavericks, or he is very disconnected from Giannis.
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