Dallas Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd is reportedly looking to own Crystal Palace F.C. of the Premier League. Crystal Palace F.C. is a professional soccer club based in Croydon, South London, England, and plays in the top tier of English soccer. Crystal Palace’s nicknames are “The Eagles” and “The Glaziers.”
Kidd, 51, is an American professional basketball coach and former professional basketball player born in San Francisco, California, and raised in Oakland, Calif., so what gives? Here’s everything you need to know about Kidd’s potential ownership of Crystal Palace across the pond.
Jason Kidd’s Portfolio
Jason Kidd’s portfolio could soon expand to the world of soccer. Kidd is widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time but appears to express an interest in soccer. In this instance, English soccer. According to The Athletic, Kidd is part of an ownership group that has submitted a bid to purchase a stake in Crystal Palace F.C., a Premier League soccer club based in Croydon, South London, England. Before Kidd’s bid to purchase a stake in Crystal Palace, Kidd joined the ownership groups of the Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club, respectively. Both soccer teams are based in Oakland, California.
Kidd In a Group
Jason Kidd is one of five people in a group that’s looking to purchase the 45% stake in Crystal Palace F.C. The prospective group includes Morgan Stanley sports executive Bejan Esmaili, former Roc Nation attorney executive Wajid Mir, and Saudi Arabian businessmen Haider Syed and Mansoor Syed.
If the group is successful, Kidd wouldn’t be the only current member of the NBA to own a part of a Premier League team. Los Angeles Lakers Power Forward LeBron James is a minority shareholder with Liverpool, the 19-time champion of England’s first division — second all-time to Manchester United’s 20 titles.
Kidd Fun Fact
Jason Kidd is an NBA coach and legend, but his interest in professional soccer has been apparent, starting with his hometown Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club in 2023 and potentially Crystal Palace F.C. across the pond in 2024 or 2025. Kidd was reportedly raised in an upper-middle-class section of Oakland, California, by an African American father, Steve, and an Irish American mother, Anne.
Kidd’s childhood in Oakland included playing soccer until the second grade. The now-51-year-old ultimately chose basketball as his No. 1 sport and played men’s basketball at California before being selected with the second overall pick in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, with whom he played two stints. The first from 1994 to 1996 and the other from 2008 to 2012.
Few professional basketball players played soccer, but Kidd did. Kidd’s soccer roots remain in the public eye. It’s unclear who inspired the California alum to watch and play soccer, but the rather unexpected journey from a youth soccer player to a legendary pro basketball player is an interesting journey for both basketball and soccer fans to follow.
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