Jason Kidd on Lakers Rumors: ‘You Can’t Turn That Down’ as a Coach or a Player

Nick Wass/Associated Press

If the Los Angeles Lakers come calling for a new head coach, Jason Kidd will apparently be ready for the opportunity.

The NBA Hall of Famer appeared on The Jump Monday night and answered numerous questions concerning his future:

Perhaps the most notable was his interest in possibly becoming the next coach of the Lakers.

“I think when you look at the Lakers as a whole, it’s a franchise that is one of the best in the world—not just in the NBA, but in the world,” Kidd said. “And so, if you ever have the opportunity to wear the purple and gold, you can’t turn that down—as a coach, as a player—because they’re all about championships.”

He was also specifically asked about whether he would be willing to coach LeBron James, who is under contract with the Lakers for at least another two years.

“When you talk about the best player in the world, you always are going to say yes because as a coach or as a teammate, he’s always going to make you better because you’re going to work,” Kidd added.

Luke Walton remains the head coach of the Lakers, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported he would be “among the serious candidates” if the team were to make a change in the offseason.

Perhaps most importantly, Kidd said that he would be “patient” during the process and would “wait until the season’s over to see what opportunities come about.”

This is bad news for Cal, which will be looking for a new head basketball coach after firing Wyking Jones Sunday. As a prominent alum with head coaching experience, Kidd would seemingly be a perfect fit to help rejuvenate the program.

Unfortunately, the athletic department will seemingly have to go into the hiring process without knowing whether or not the 46-year-old is a realistic option.