BROOKLYN – Kerry Kittles was often the underrated member of the Nets’ runs to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. His sweet stroke kept defenses honest, instead of honing on Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, and he was also quietly a solid defender on the perimeter. Despite not having the fanfare of Kidd, Jefferson or Kenyon Martin in his playing days, he certainly got some love from Nets fans at Barclays Center on Sunday.
Nets fans got a chance to reconnect with Kittles prior to the team’s game against the Cavaliers and he showed his appreciation by taking pictures and chatting with them. After he wrapped up, he spoke with BrooklynNets.com to share his thoughts on the current Nets team, Allen Crabbe breaking the team’s single-season three-point record and his favorite memory from his time in New Jersey.
Here’s What He Had to Say:
[Editor's Note: Some responses have been edited for clarity and brevity purposes]
How did it feel to reconnect with the Nets fan base and see how excited they were to see you after all of these years?
It’s always great when you’re a former player and you come back. Sometimes you feel a little old because of the age of the kids and the younger fans, but overall, it’s always great to enjoy – just meeting the fans and being able to interact with them. You get to see the look on their faces and it’s also great to see this Nets team against LeBron James and the Cavaliers. So it’s always great to be back.
What do you think of the current Nets team?
There’s some good promising talent. [Jahlil] Okafor is still a promising, young talent. Obviously, getting the kid from the Lakers [D’Angelo Russell] was pretty good. We’ll see. I think they are still rebuilding the team right now. I think once they settle and get some nice free agent pieces, and good draft choices, we’ll see.
You were a big three-point shooter during your time with the Nets [Kittles sits fourth in the list for threes made in a season], what did you think of Allen Crabbe setting the team’s new record for threes made in a season?
Shooters love other shooters [laughs]. I was a shooter so I always enjoyed watching shooters shot the ball. He’s obviously got a great stroke, it’s clean and it comes off of his hands really nice. He’s got a great arc, which I love to see from shooters. Hopefully, he continues to get better and add more to his game and I’ll become a bigger fan of him in the future.
You were an assistant coach at Princeton, how was that experience.
It was good, it was a good experience. Ivy League and mid-major basketball, as you can see now, mid-majors are competing with the big dogs. It was a good experience being there.
What was your favorite memory as a Net?
Those two years we went to the [NBA] Finals. Those two years were great years. Listen, when you’re an athlete at any level – high school, college or pro athlete – you want to be on a competitive team. You want to know that on any given night, you’re going to beat the best teams that you are playing against – in your conference, division, in your county if you’re in high school, wherever.
For us, for those two years, we could beat any team in the league. That’s a great feeling and you’re having fun with your teammates. Those two years, we really had a good time together as a group. We got along great. We shared the ball, we played together and we didn’t care who scored. Two really great years of being an athlete.