Motivation Quote by Jason Kidd

Kidd’s line has the blunt clarity of someone who’s lived inside the machine long enough to stop romanticizing it. “The business” isn’t a vague bogeyman here; it’s flights, contracts, cap sheets, sponsorship obligations, media cycles, front-office politics, and the constant churn of trade rumors. By saying it “always” gets in the way, Kidd isn’t describing an occasional annoyance. He’s naming a structural condition of modern pro sports: the game is the product, but the product is rarely the priority.

The phrasing does a neat trick. “Basketball” stands in for everything fans want to believe they’re watching - skill, competition, chemistry, craft - while “business” becomes the gravity that drags those ideals back to earth. Kidd’s not just complaining about distraction; he’s hinting at how decision-making is outsourced from the court to the balance sheet. A team can be playing well and still be broken up because timelines, payroll, and asset management demand it. A player can be locked in and still have his season shaped by travel, branding, or a strategic “rest” that serves long-term interests more than nightly wins.

Coming from Kidd - a point guard and later a coach, roles defined by control and orchestration - the quote reads like a weary admission that even the best floor general can’t call plays on the most powerful forces in the building. It’s also an invitation to fans: if you want to understand the sport, you have to follow the money as closely as the ball.