If a basketball team were an army, then the point guard would be the general. His job is to run the team's offense and make sure his teammates get involved in the game and play to the best of their abilities. Nobody in the National Basketball Association (NBA) today does this better than Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks. A star since eighth grade, Kidd has made a name for himself by making other players look good. Although his statistics are not always spectacular, they were good enough in his first NBA season to make him Rookie of the Year. In 1996 the Mavericks traded Kidd to the Phoenix Suns, where he now leads one of the NBA's most high-powered offenses.

Growing up

Born special

Jason Frederick Kidd was born March 23, 1973, in San Francisco, California. His father, Steve, is a supervisor with Trans World Airlines. His mother, Anne, is...