Jason Kidd Recalls the Time He Saw Rod Thorn in Awe of Jerry West

The Dallas Mavericks head coach speaks on the passing of the legendary Jerry West.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was able to spend some time with West Virginia great Rod Thorn earlier in his NBA career. Just before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Kidd shared a story that involves Thorn and encapsulates the iconic figure that is the late Jerry West.

"Jerry was a gentleman to everyone. He was the best. You talk about history, you talk about the game of basketball and what he stood for. One of the stories (I have is) when I was with the Nets and Rod Thorn and we're going to Memphis to play Memphis and I'd never seen a grown man drool before. I asked Rod why was he drooling and he's like, 'That's my idol'. I was like looking for Michael Jordan, but Michael wasn't anywhere close and I said, 'Jerry West?' And that's when I learned a little bit about West Virginia and it was an incredible moment because I had never seen Rod in awe before. To see that, to see Jerry and the way he handled Rod was very impressive. And when you talk about West Virginia and basketball, D'Antoni, Rod, and Jerry West...it was a historic moment for me because I was learning about West Virginia and they're all very well put together, educated, and very smart. I just never saw Rod in that atmosphere before of being silenced and listening. It was like a little kid."

Mavs head coach Jason Kidd shares a cool story about Jerry West:

"When I was with the Nets and Rod Thorn and we're going to Memphis to play [the Grizzlies] and I never seen a grown man drool before. I asked Rod why he was drooling and he was like, 'That's my idol.' And I was… pic.twitter.com/X8phO4YxwR

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 12, 2024

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