Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is taking an equity stake in private equity-backed Prep Network and will join the youth sports company’s board of directors, Front Office Sports has learned.
Prep Network, which has been backed by PE firm Maple Park Capital Partners since last fall, runs hundreds of youth sports events each year, including team-based tournaments in basketball, football, and volleyball. It also publishes tens of thousands of articles annually spotlighting high school athletes who aim to play at the next level. Maple Park’s investment was reportedly worth $30 million, according to Bloomberg.
The founders are Jake Phillips and Nick Caroll, both former Division III basketball players at Minnesota schools (Phillips played at Carleton College and Carroll played at Hamline University). The two met almost 20 years ago when they were paired up to coach a youth basketball team.
In addition to becoming an equity holder and joining the Prep Network board, Kidd, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, will take the title of operating advisor for Maple Park. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
“Jason has been a friend and an advisor for years; he was helping us, advising us, and sharing his expertise even before we invested,” Andrew Lauck, co-founder of Maple Park, tells Front Office Sports. “It was a natural next step to add him as an operating advisor to Maple Park to tap his know-how to be successful in this partnership.”
Alex Blankfein, also a co-founder of Maple Park, tells FOS that Kidd “shares the same philosophy we do: Youth sports are about empowering kids and teaching lessons, whether or not they ever reach the collegiate or professional level.”
“ The lessons learned on the basketball court, volleyball court, and other arenas are invaluable— Jason shares those beliefs,” Blankfein says.
Kidd’s involvement is more than a celebrity endorsement. In addition to his own personal experience going from playing youth sports to the pros, he’s a father with children who play youth sports. Not to mention his accolades and record of winning; the 10-time All-Star made it to the NBA Finals three times as a player, including winning once with the Mavericks in 2011.
“Having kids going through it, having built teams, and having been a leader all the way up to the professional level uniquely qualifies him to play this role,” Phillips tells FOS.
Kidd joins as Maple Park continues to pour resources into Prep Network. Since the late September investment, Prep Network has added 20 full-time employees, and has 50% more events scheduled for 2026 than 2025 (from 300 last year to around 450 this year).
The leaders from Maple Park and Prep Network expect to make more acquisitions to boost Prep Network’s portfolio, another area where Kidd’s expertise is expected to play a role.
“His awareness of how different puzzle pieces could fit together — and which ones wouldn’t — is incredibly meaningful as we think about growth and M&A,” Carroll says.
Kidd, who earned more than $182 million in contracts during his 19-year NBA playing career, has remained active in retirement in more ways than just coaching. Earlier this year, he joined the ownership group of Premier League soccer club Everton, and was named to the board of directors for Go Rentals, which provides luxury car and airplane rentals. In 2023, he took stakes in USL Championship soccer team the Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club, which plays in the women’s version of USL. Before that, in 2017, he invested in golf technology company 18Birdies.
Maple Park launched last January. Its only other investment so far is in Italian ice and custard company Rita’s.
