Brooklyn Nets to retire Jason Kidd's No. 5 jersey

When the Nets take the floor for their regular-season home opener Nov. 1, they'll do so with their new coach's No. 5 jersey hanging in the Barclays Center rafters.

But whether Kidd will be there to actually guide them that night remains to be seen.

The Nets on Monday announced plans to retire Kidd's number before the team's preseason matchup against the Heat on Oct. 17. Kidd will become the sixth player in franchise history to have his number retired, joining Drazen Petrovic (3), John Williamson (23), Bill Melchionni (25), Julius Erving (32) and Buck Williams (52).

Kidd, who was hired as the Nets coach in July despite not having any coaching experience, is facing a possible suspension by the league after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge stemming from his crash into a Southampton utility pole on July 15, 2012. Given the league's precedent in such instances involving coaches, Kidd is facing a two-game ban and could miss the team's season opener against the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Oct. 30, followed by the Nets' home opener versus the two-time champion Heat.

Kidd played six-plus seasons with the Nets, directing them to back-to-back appearances in the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 before eventually forcing a trade to the Mavericks in 2008.

"This is a very humbling honor and one that I will always cherish," Kidd said in a statement. "There can be no greater recognition of an athlete's time with any team than to have his number retired, and this gesture by the Nets organization validates a very significant portion of my career that was spent as a player with this franchise."