Jason Kidd is expanding his commitment to girls youth basketball with the launch of Jason Kidd Select South, a North Texas–based program designed to develop and elevate elite female athletes while expanding access and opportunity across the region.
A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, 10-time NBA All-Star, NBA Champion, and current head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, Kidd has long been regarded as one of the game’s elite leaders. In recent years, he has increasingly focused his efforts on supporting the women’s game, using his platform and experience to create pathways for young female athletes to succeed.
Launching in partnership with longtime North Texas club True Texas Hoops, Jason Kidd Select South will include fully subsidized elite “Select” teams supported directly through the Jason Kidd Foundation, along with a broader program structure that will include additional teams for high school and younger athletes.
“This is about expanding opportunities for girls and investing in the future of women’s basketball,” Kidd said. “We’re bringing a proven program model to the South, led by strong female leadership, and creating a platform for athletes to grow on and off the court.”
Following the death of Kobe Bryant, Kidd made a deliberate commitment to invest in girls basketball, motivated by the desire to carry forward Bryant’s visible support of the women’s game and expand opportunities for young female athletes.
That commitment is rooted in the success of JK Select Girls Basketball, Kidd’s elite Bay Area–based program now entering its sixth year. The program has produced 45+ NCAA Division I athletes, four State Gatorade Players of the Year, and international medalists, serving as a proven model for how elite coaching, structure, and access drive long-term athlete success — a philosophy that will guide the launch and growth of Jason Kidd Select South.
Program leadership will be anchored by Kim Lummus Crabtree, founder and head coach of True Texas Hoops and a respected leader in Texas girls basketball. A Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Crabtree led Cleburne High School to a 1995 Class 4A State Championship, starred at The University of Texas as a four-year letter winner, and later student coached under Hall of Fame coach Jody Conradt before spending five seasons as an assistant at UC Irvine. She returned to Texas to build one of North Texas’ most respected girls development programs.
“This partnership is about purpose,” Crabtree said. “We’ve invested years into developing girls as athletes and as people. To have Jason Kidd believe in that vision — and to intentionally support a female-led program — is powerful for our players and for the future of the women’s game.”
The expanded program will serve athletes spanning 4th through 8th grade and high school, with plans to field approximately 12 to 15 total teams across age levels. While the organization’s foundation is in Texas, the program is designed to be inclusive of the bordering states — including New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana — creating a central hub in Dallas-Fort Worth for regional talent.
Tryouts for the program are currently underway, with recruitment and evaluations expected to continue through early March. For more information, visit jkselectsouth.com.
