NBA: Kidd to Nowitzki: “Dirk, I carried you”

On Friday night, 13 new members were inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Jason Kidd, the first Mavs draft pick to receive this honor. In his speech, Kidd also had a few words for Dirk Nowitzki.

“I want to thank many people, but Dirk, I carried you,” Kidd said at the beginning of his speech with a smile towards the tall blond. He had raised his former point guard on Twitter a few days ago that he hadn’t seen Kidd in his prime during the 2011 Championships run.

After Kidd loosened his speech with this little joke, the 45-year-old also found words of praise for his new co-member in the Hall of Fame Grant Hill.

“A special thanks goes to you. We were co-rookies of the year and now we’re both being inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Kidd said. “I think we’ve inspired each other to work harder on ourselves,” Kidd continued.

After 19 years in the NBA, the point guard of the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, New Jersey Nets and New York Kicks ended his career in 2013. Kidd ranks second in the All-Time Assist Ranking (12,091 Assists) behind John Stockton. In total, he played 12.6 points, 8.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game.