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Jason Kidd (True) Rookie Cards
With the second overall pick of the 1st Round in the 1994 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks select Jason Kidd from the University of California. Jason Kidd has 15 true rookie cards and 10 parallels.
Kidd Mentored by Hall of Famers
Jason Kidd is also known as “The Magician” for his uncanny ability to pass the rock. He was born in San Francisco, CA but was raised in the Hills of Plaid Valley Oakland where the rich folks lived. But he was influenced to play basketball in the Flat Lands of Oakland where the ghetto folks reside.
Here is where he met Gary Payton, another well-known Hall of Famer, who was about five years older and Jason looked up to him as a big brother. They played together regularly and Gary saw something special in Jason.
He was doing things that kids his age shouldn’t be doing says, Payton. When asked, what did you learn from Gary? Jason replies, “intensity and hustle for 48 minutes.“
Gary’s influence helped propel Jason Kidd’s career and so it was only fitting that Gary would be Jason’s presenter in his Hall of Fame induction. He was there in the beginning and the end of his career says, Jason.
With such a great basketball mentor Jason went on to become a high school phenom and elevated his game even more as he attended the University of California. He quickly impressed NBA fans and was Co-Rookie of the Year with Grant Hill.
Career Stats & Accomplishments of Jason Kidd
Jason played 8 years with the Dallas Mavericks, 7 years with the New Jersey Nets, 5 seasons with the Phoenix Suns, and 1 season with the New York Knicks. His career averages are 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game.
- 10x All-Star
- 6x All-NBA
- 5x Assist Champion
- 1x NBA Champion
- 2x Olympic Gold Medalist
Offensively Kidd was an elite passer, one of the best the game has ever seen, and defensively he had the intensity and hustle to steal the ball from those who dared to dribble past him.
He is 2nd All-Time in both categories behind only John Stockton. He was never known for being a shooter and early on was criticized for it, so what did Jason Kidd do? What any Hall of Famer would do – up his game! He began shooting the three and at the time of his retirement was third all-time in three-point shots made.
After his retirement, he quickly entered the ranks of Head Coach and today, as of the date of this post, is an Assistant Coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.
1994 Collector’s Choice, #250 (RC)
The first true rookie card we’re gonna look at is this budget-friendly Collector’s Choice brand, it has a very clean design. Fantastic full action photo and the vector image on the lower-right corner is a hit with me.
Friendly white borders but thin paper stock make the corners an easy target for damage. Card back is fantastic too, great photography, design, and overall well balanced.
This rookie card of Mr. Kidd can be found in Series 2 packs. Two parallels exist, Silver which features a silver facsimile signature inserted in 1:1 packs, and Gold featuring a gold facsimile signature inserted in 1:36 packs.
1994 Embossed, #102 (RC)
This is a very small 121 card set but it was big on innovation. The base cards were the first of their kind having an embossed feel of a basketball. The rookies in the set as you can see here have lots of silver foil with a full action photo.
The card back has some nice features too. Portrait photo of Kidd, player bio, and stats. A “Did You Know” section giving collectors some personal details about the players. By the looks of it Kidd collects baseball memorabilia! One parallel in this one, Gold inserted one per pack has gold foil on the card front.
1994 Emotion, #20 (RC)
This premier set issued by Skybox was top-notch in quality, strong card stock with high gloss. The Emotion brand stamped an adjective in the front of each card identifying the featured player; Jason Kidd’s emotion has been identified as “Geared Up” as he high-fives his teammates.
The card back really goes against the grain in every aspect and I guess that’s what makes it work and when you include two photos that blend perfectly together what can you say except great job Skybox! There are no parallels in this set and with a base set like this none are needed.
1994 Finest, #286 (RC)
Arguably Jason Kidd’s best true rookie card in terms of popularity and monetary value. It has a silver prism-type background with thick borders. Flashes of color highlight the photo of Kidd. Cards are printed on really sturdy card stock and are covered with a protective film of plastic to further protect the card.
The card back is decent giving us everything a good card back should have. There is one parallel in this set; Refractors were inserted 1:12 packs and are one of the most desired cards in the hobby.
1994 Flair, #202 (RC)
Flair is another premium product that premiered in 1994. A 326 card set that features Jason Kidd’s rookie card in its Series 2 packs. Thick card stock and high gloss make these very sturdy but have been known for chipping along the edges.
The card front features dual photos blended nicely and some very fancy font letters. The card back gives us full University of California stats but lacks in player bio, and commentary. However, they do offer another full-color, action photo. There are no parallels in this set.
1994 Fleer, #268 (RC)
In the era of the mid-’80s to mid-90s, the Fleer basketball brand was king of the hill. Look at this great design offered to collectors. Great action photo with lots of anticipation in Jason Kidd’s body language.
The card back is challenging to find in mint condition due to thin paper stock and black borders, the overall design is decent. This rookie card was found in Series 2 packs and has no parallels.
1994 Hoops, #317 (RC)
This was another budget-friendly product in 1994 but because of the thin card stock, they are prone to damaged edges and corners. Great game day action photo features Kidd in a position to block a shot. They can found in Series 2 packs and the card front has huge font letters in gold foil.
The card back gives us blurred-out rookie lettering, a small headshot photo but I really like the creativity of player name, player bio, lots of commentary, and full college stats. There are no parallels in this set.
1994 Jam Session, #41 (RC)
The standard size for any sports card today is 2.50″ x 3.50″ but for the Jam Session brand they were a bit taller measuring 2.50″ x 4.75″ which makes them about an inch and a quarter taller than the traditional size.
I liked this size for basketball because typically the players are so tall I just felt it was appropriate to put them on a taller card, but on the flip side back in the day, these were always hard to protect and store.
Not sure if this was a practice uniform or if there were contractual issues that prevented Fleer from showing Kidd in his Mavs uniform. I appreciate how they’ve zoomed in on the player allowing Kidd to take up most of the card front.
I’m not a fan of the design for player name and team in the front, I feel like it lacks creativity. The card back has a good design to it and offers everything a card back should have. There are no parallels in this set.
1994 SkyBox Premium, #221 (RC)
Full game day action photo with no borders feature this Kidd RC. They can be found in Series 2 packs. Some basic picture editing tricks feature a green opacity background and a yellow outline around the player gives us an animated look to the card front. The back of the card features a very basic and boring design. There are no parallels in this set.
1994 SP, #2 (RC)
The SP brand was a premier set but was only available through hobby shops. These were high-quality packs in their day. Lots of eye appeal too. Full action photo with no borders, gold/silver foil background, and that handsome SP logo tops off the front of the card.
Great looking card back with everything a good card back should have. There is one parallel in this set, Die Cuts were inserted 1 per pack.
1994 SP Championship, #49 (RC)
This was a retail-only, premier set, released by Upper Deck, and I remember opening up a ton of this product. Fantastic game day action photo showcasing Kidd doing what he did so well, passing for the assist.
The card back is average in design and lacks a player bio. There is one parallel in this set, Die Cuts were inserted one per pack.
1994 Stadium Club, #172 (RC)
This rookie card can be found in Series 1 packs of Stadium Club. Great portrait photo of Mr. Kidd on Draft Day. A nice suit and a big smile go nicely with that Draft Pick logo on the lower left. I don’t understand the logic of the jacket, perhaps a jersey or nothing at all would’ve been better suited.
The card back has me scratching my head a bit, the only thing I can make out is the basketball, the rest of it is literally a blur. It does, however, give us all the pertinent information that you would expect from a good card back.
There is one parallel, First Day Issue inserted 1:24 packs. There are also, Members Only and Super Teams NBA Finals parallels that were available via mail order.
1994 Topps, #37 (RC)
This rookie card of our featured HOF’er can be found in Series 2 packs. A great portrait photo placed on a rough-edged white border. A great-looking Draft Pick logo at the lower left really adds a nice highlight to the overall design. The card back is well balanced and creative.
This would be considered Jason Kidd’s true “flagship” rookie card. There is one parallel, Spectralight is inserted 1:4 packs.
1994 Ultra, #43 (RC)
This borderless action photo of Jason Kidd can be found in Series 2 packs of the Fleer Ultra brand. A hobby favorite due to the classic Ultra Rookie logo placed at the lower left. High gloss and sturdy card stock make these durable but they are known to chip along the edges.
Perhaps Kidd is shown in practice gear or there are licensing issues that prevent Fleer from showing Kidd in his team uniform, not sure. The card back gives us no commentary because it seems that the photos were the focus. There are no parallels in this set.
1994 Upper Deck, #160 (RC)
Found in Series 1 packs, the thin card stock, dark edges can make it challenging to find mint copies. Fantastic photography as Mr. Kidd appears to be answering questions at a press conference.
The card back shows Kidd posing for a photo perhaps with the Commissioner of the League after being announced as the 2nd Overall Pick. Using very small font letters they managed to give us all pertinent information for the card back. Overall this is a fantastic card design as only Upper Deck can deliver. No parallels for this set.
Happy Collecting Collectors,
Learn. Collect. Enjoy.
