Dwyane Wade has had many battles against Jason Kidd throughout their respective careers.
But besides playing alongside Kidd on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, Wade said before the Nets’ 86-62 preseason triumph at Barclays Center Thursday night his fondest memories of the future Hall of Fame point guard was giving a young Wade pointers during his early years in the league.
“Playing against him, I was a young guard coming in, a young point guard, and Jason would talk to me throughout the games early on, especially early in my career when I was trying to figure it out,” Wade said. “He kind of helped me out, gave me a couple of pointers … it was good. I needed that.
“Then, once he sensed that I started getting good, he stopped talking to me that way,” Wade added with a smile. “But we had some great battles.”
Wade, who didn’t play in the game, said Kidd helped influence his game off the ball, in particular.
“It was just small pointers … knowing what to look for and certain things,” Wade said. “One thing about Jason is he’s a great teammate. He’s a guy who gets off the ball.
“That’s one thing when I came in as a point guard, I needed to learn how to get off the ball early,” Wade said. “I was so used to having the ball in my hands so much as a scorer before I came into the NBA. Just small pointers, but I appreciated it coming in.
“I mean, that’s Jason Kidd. To come in and get any pointers from him because he’s seen something in me was cool while it lasted.”
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Brook Lopez has only worn a Nets jersey as an NBA player. When asked to reflect on that Thursday morning he admitted he took great pride in that.
“It means everything to me,” Lopez said. “I’m proud to be a Net … I’ve said that my entire career here, and I’m thankful that they drafted me, and I’ve learned a lot in my time here.”
Lopez, entering his sixth NBA season, will move well inside the top 10 in team history in both points and rebounds this year if he stays healthy, and is well positioned to make a run at virtually every record in team history, making it a realistic possibility he will have his own jersey retired one day.
But Lopez, who finished the game with 14 points and five rebounds in 23:36, said he’s focused on getting a different kind of banner raised to the rafters.
“I think the most important thought in everyone’s mind is just helping the team succeed in whatever way possible,” Lopez said. “If anything, we want a banner up in the rafters.”
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The Nets waived swingman Gary Forbes after the game. Their roster now stands at 17 players.