The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are still on the hunt for a new head coach. One of the candidates they have been reportedly keeping an eye on is Los Angeles Lakers assistant Jason Kidd.
According to Sam Gordon of Las Vegas Review-Journal, Kidd has checked the box on one of UNLV's requirements for its coaches. This has further heated up the speculations that the 47-year old could make the transfer to the college ranks.
Article Continues BelowJason Kidd, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018, was interested in the job in 2019 when Otzelberger was hired from South Dakota State to replace Marvin Menzies. Kidd didn’t have a college degree at that time but does now, according to two people familiar with the hiring process.
UNLV requires coaches to have at least a bachelor’s degree.
As mentioned, Kidd already had an interest in the gig a couple of years ago prior to the hiring of T.J. Otzelberger. With Otzelberger going to Iowa State, the Hall of Fame point guard is once again going to be a strong candidate to take over the job.
Obviously, Kidd still has his duties as assistant for the defending NBA champion Lakers. But the 10-time NBA All-Star would probably prefer to be the lead coach of a team.
Jason Kidd actually became a top candidate to become the Lakers head coach in 2019 before eventually settling for an assistant role behind current Lakers head coach Frank Vogel. He spent five seasons as a head coach in the NBA, where he manned the sidelines for the Brooklyn Nets in his first year as a head coach. He eventually made the move to the Milwaukee Bucks and served as Giannis Antetokounmpo's mentor for over three seasons.
While Kidd may not be a devastating loss for the Lakers coaching staff, it is worth noting that he has established a good relationship with Los Angeles' superstar tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.