NBA veteran Jason Kidd announces retirement

New York: New York Knicks` guard Jason Kidd announced his retirement after 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) league.

Kidd, who turned 40 last March, played for New Jersey, Phoenix and Dallas and averages 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.93 steals a game in his entire career. "My time in professional basketball has been an incredible journey, but one that must come to an end after 19 years," said Kidd Monday, who was selected to the NBA All-Star for 10 times. Kidd ranks second on the NBA`s all-time assist list with 12,091 and second in career steals with 2,684, sixth in games played with 1,391, third in minutes played at 50,111 and 3-point baskets at 1, 988 and is the NBA`s all-team rebound leader among guards with 8,725. He led the New Jersey Nets to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 but did not win a championship. IANS