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Jason Kidd and Gary Payton headline Cal’s charity tipoff as champion UCLA wins 87-53

By McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM · Certified WNBA player agent · Former certified NBA agent

Published October 15, 2026. Last updated October 15, 2026.

Who was at Haas Pavilion on Wednesday?

Two Hall of Fame point guards, a Cal great and a crowd of nearly 4,000. The day opened at 3 p.m. with a fireside chat at the Anchises Club in California Memorial Stadium, where Bonta Hill of NBC Sports Bay Area moderated a panel of Jason Kidd, Gary Payton and former Cal forward Reshanda Gray, per Cal Athletics. The panel covered leadership, the growth of women’s basketball and Kidd’s JK Select program for girls.

The game tipped at 6 p.m., per Cal’s game preview. The estimated crowd of nearly 4,000 was Cal’s first in front of fans this season, per Sports Illustrated. Tickets for the chat were sold separately from the game, and proceeds from both went to the Jason Kidd Foundation, per Cal Athletics.

Why did Jason Kidd put his name on a women’s college game?

He said he wants to carry forward what Kobe Bryant started for the women’s game. “Not be Kobe, but can I help pick up that light and keep it shining?” Kidd told the Associated Press. His foundation already runs JK Select, a girls’ program in Northern California, and launched a Dallas version last year, per the same report.

The matchup itself came from Cal’s side. The Bears’ staff told Kidd’s group that UCLA wanted to play an exhibition this year, per the AP. Club programs like JK Select sit in the same spring and summer circuit families weigh in whether AAU basketball is worth the cost.

Kidd is not coaching in the NBA this season. He and the Dallas Mavericks parted ways on May 19, 2026, after five seasons as head coach, per his Wikipedia biography.

What ties Kidd, Payton and Gray to the Bay Area?

Oakland, Cal and an Olympic podium. Payton was born in Oakland and played at Skyline High School, and was the first point guard named Defensive Player of the Year, in 1996, per his Wikipedia biography. Kidd was raised in Oakland, played at St. Joseph Notre Dame in Alameda, and was national Freshman of the Year at Cal in 1993 and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1994, per his biography. Cal retired his No. 5 in 2004.

The two won Olympic gold together at the 2000 Sydney Games. Payton entered the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2013 and Kidd in 2018, per their biographies.

Gray, a Los Angeles native, helped Cal reach its first Final Four in 2013 and was the Pac-12 coaches’ Player of the Year in 2015, per her Wikipedia biography. She then played in the WNBA from 2015 to 2022 and overseas in Italy, Hungary and South Korea, the kind of career overseas basketball contracts make possible between WNBA seasons.

How did the game go?

UCLA pulled away after halftime. The Bruins led 32-19 at the break and won 87-53, with 10 players scoring and five in double figures, per UCLA Athletics. Junior Elina Aarnisalo led everyone with 20 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three, plus 7 assists and no turnovers. Sophomore Sienna Betts added 11 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks.

For Cal, senior Lulu Twidale scored 13 with three 3-pointers, and freshman Ruby Perkins of Australia added 12 points and 5 assists, per Sports Illustrated. UCLA went 37-1 last season but lost its top six scorers to expired eligibility, per the same report. How programs now pay to keep or replace players is covered in how college revenue sharing works.

The setting carried history. It was the 84th meeting between the former Pac-12 rivals and the first since February 2, 2024, and Cal’s first home game against a reigning national champion since Stanford on February 12, 1993, per Cal’s game preview.

What comes next for both teams and the foundation?

Cal plays its second exhibition at USC on Sunday, October 25, then opens the regular season at home against Washington State on November 2, per Sports Illustrated. Kidd said the foundation will hold an auction with Sotheby’s in November to raise more money, per the AP.

For girls on the path Kidd’s program serves, the next step after club ball is recruiting, laid out in how to get recruited for college basketball. Families with questions can bring them to the free live Q&A for basketball families on October 22.