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Steve Nash

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Steve Nash
Phoenix Suns
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1974-02-07) February 7, 1974 (age 50)
South Africa Johannesburg, South Africa
NationalityCanada
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
CollegeSanta Clara
NBA draft1996: 15th overall
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Playing career1996–present
Career highlights and awards
2005 NBA MVP
2006 NBA MVP
2006 TSN NBA co-MVP
Five-time All-Star
Four-time All-NBA Selection
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Steven John Nash[1], OBC (born February 7, 1974) is a Canadian professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. He is the reigning back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player.

Steve Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. His parents relocated to Canada, settling in Victoria, British Columbia, before he was two years old because they did not want to raise their children in an environment of apartheid.[2]

Nash comes from an athletic family. His father John was a professional soccer player in South Africa, while his mother Jean was a member of the English national netball team. His brother Martin has made 30 appearances for the Canadian national soccer team. His sister Joann was the captain of the University of Victoria women's soccer team for three years. Nash attended St. Michael's University School, a private boarding school in Victoria, and was on the school basketball team. Nash had decided to focus on basketball in his early teens, but still played soccer through high school, and was named British Columbia player of the year in soccer as well as basketball in his senior year.[3] Since his father is a native of Tottenham, Nash grew up rooting for Tottenham Hotspur and even trained with Spurs in North London as a teenager.[4] Soccer continues to be an important part of Nash's life. In fact, when Dirk Nowitzki arrived in the NBA from Germany, he and Nash became close friends, in part because they enjoyed watching soccer together. In addition to soccer, Nash excelled at hockey and lacrosse as a child.

Nash played high school basketball for Mount Douglas Secondary School and St. Michaels University School along with his younger brother Martin. In his senior season, he averaged nearly a triple-double per game—more than 21 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds—led his team to the British Columbia AAA provincial championship title, and was named the province's player of the year. However, because of the limited attention afforded to the Canadian high school basketball circuit, Nash went completely unrecruited by the U.S. NCAA schools. His coach, Ian Hyde-Lay, sent letters of inquiry and highlight reels on Nash's behalf to over 30 American universities, to no avail.

Acting on a tip, Santa Clara University head coach Dick Davey was intrigued enough, however, to twice request video footage of the young guard before finally making the trip up from Northern California to visit the recruit in person. After watching Nash dominate a game, Davey recalled later, "I was nervous as hell just hoping that no one else would see him. It didn't take a Nobel Prize winner to figure out this guy's pretty good. It was just a case of hoping that none of the big names came around."[5] Nash was awarded a scholarship by Santa Clara for the 1992-93 season. As a freshman, he helped lead the Broncos to West Coast Conference title and an upset win over No. 2 seeded Arizona Wildcats in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

NBA career

First stint in Phoenix

Nash was selected 15th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft. Upon hearing the draft announcement, Suns fans booed in disapproval of the relatively unknown player.[5] Despite his impressive college accomplishments, he had not played in one of the major college conferences. During his first two seasons in the NBA, he played a supporting role behind NBA star point guards Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson.

Dallas

Nash had met and befriended Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Donnie Nelson while he was at Santa Clara and Nelson worked for the nearby Golden State Warriors. Following his spell in the Bay Area, Nelson took a job with the Suns, and it was he who convinced the team to select Nash with the 15th pick. After moving to Dallas, Nelson was able to convince his father, Don Nelson, who was then the Mavericks coach and GM, to acquire Nash. On Draft Day, June 25, 1998, Nash was traded from the Suns to the Mavericks in exchange for Martin Muursepp, Bubba Wells, the draft rights to Pat Garrity, and a first-round draft pick which was later used to select Shawn Marion but went back to Phoenix in 2004.

During Nash's first year in Dallas, the lockout-shortened season of 1999, he notched the starting spot and averaged 7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.[6] He missed the last 10 games of the season due to a lower back injury.

In the 1999-2000 season, the team's prospects improved considerably. Nash missed 25 mid-season games due to an ankle injury, but he came back to notch six double-doubles in the last month of play. He finished the season with averages of 8.6 points and 4.9 assists per game.[6] More importantly for the team, second-year teammate and friend Dirk Nowitzki was blossoming into a superstar, veteran Michael Finley was having an All-Star-caliber year, and the team's new owner, billionaire Mark Cuban, was bringing new energy and excitement to the franchise. Nash now had a supportive environment in which he could thrive.

In 2000-01, Nash averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 assists per game in a breakout season.[6] With Nash directing the offense, Nowitzki and Finley playing at their best, and new acquisition, All-Star Juwan Howard, complementing the high-scoring trio, the Mavericks earned a playoff berth for the first time in more than a decade. Dallas lost in the second round, but it marked the beginning of a memorable title run for Nash and the Mavericks.

In the 2001-02 season, Nash posted career-highs of 17.9 PPG and 7.7 APG[6] and earned a spot in the NBA All-Star Game and on the All-NBA Third Team. He was now an all-star, increasingly appearing in television commercials and, with Finley and Nowitzki, part of the Dallas Mavericks "Big Three." Dallas earned another trip to the playoffs and again lost in the second round to the Sacramento Kings four games to one.

Nash closely replicated his previous season's performance in 2002-03, averaging 17.7 points and 7.3 assists per game,[6] again earning All-Star and All-NBA Third Team honors. Nowitzki and Nash led the Mavericks from an incredible 14-game winning streak to open the season all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs four games to two. It was only the second Conference Final appearance in franchise history.

The 2003-04 season saw a drop-off in Nash's scoring contributions and he was left off the All-Star and All-NBA team rosters. Despite this, he achieved new career highs in assists per game (8.8) and free throw accuracy (91.6%).[6] Dallas suffered defeat in the first round of the playoffs to the Sacramento Kings four games to one.

Now a free agent, Nash attempted to negotiate a long-term contract with Mark Cuban. Cuban did not want to lose Nash, but wanted to build his franchise around the younger Nowitzki and did not want to risk signing the aging Nash to a long-term deal. Instead he offered a four year deal worth about $9 million per year, with a fifth year partially guaranteed. Cuban wrote in his own blog that this is what he considered fair and if Nash could get a better offer from another team he should take it and Cuban would be happy for him. Nash continued looking for a better deal and found one in Phoenix, where he still had a home and ties to the local community. Unfazed by Nash's age (30), the Suns offered him a six-year, $63 million contract. He was reluctant to leave Dallas and returned to Cuban to see if he would match the deal, to no avail. Nash signed a long-term contract with the Phoenix Suns for the 2004-05 season.

On a June 14, 2006 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Cuban wondered out loud, ". . . you know Steve's a great guy and I love him to death, but why couldn't he play like an MVP for us?"[7]

Second stint in Phoenix: Nash's career transformed

The Phoenix Suns had two emerging young players in small forward Shawn Marion and forward-center Amare Stoudemire, the 2002-03 Rookie of the Year, but the season before Nash arrived, the Suns recorded a 29-53 win-loss record. Other than the additions of Nash and swingman Quentin Richardson, the line-up was essentially unchanged from the previous season, and most critics projected them to have another poor season.

Head coach Mike D'Antoni, who had taken over midway through the previous season, favored an up tempo style of basketball. This style requires smaller, more athletic players with the capability to outrun and out-shoot their opponents. Nash's familiarity with this style combined with the athleticism of teammates Stoudemire, Marion, and Joe Johnson to produce many highlight reels, an NBA-best 62-20 record (a 33-win improvement from the previous season) and a points per game average of 110.4, the highest in a decade.

As the Suns' starting point guard and a veteran among youngsters, Nash proved to be a threat in every aspect of the Suns' offense and was one of the catalysts for the team's dramatic turnaround. He averaged 11.5 assists per game (the highest mark in that category since 1995) while making 50.2% of his field goals and 43.1% of his 3-pointers.

In the playoffs, Phoenix swept the Memphis Grizzlies in four games before meeting Nash's former club, the Dallas Mavericks, in the second round. Leading the Suns to a 4-2 series win, Nash put up some of the best numbers of his career, averaging 30.3 points, 12.0 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game, recording his first playoff triple-double, and scoring a 2005 playoff high 48 points in one game. The Suns played in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1993, losing to the eventual NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs in five games. For the series, Nash averaged 23.2 points and 10.6 assists per game.

Most Valuable Player 2005

In 2005, Nash edged Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat to win the NBA MVP award.[8] Nash became the first Canadian and the second foreign-born player (after Hakeem Olajuwon) to earn the honour.[1] He is the first MVP who did not lead his team in scoring since Dave Cowens in 1972-73. Nash is just the third point guard ever to be named MVP — along with Magic Johnson and Bob Cousy — and only the sixth guard (Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, and Allen Iverson being the others).[1] Nash was the first white player to win the award since Larry Bird in 1986. At age 31, this also made Nash the oldest player to be named MVP the first time. Nash is also the lowest drafted player to win the award.

2005-06 season

After losing three key players in the off-season (Stoudemire to a knee injury, Joe Johnson to a trade for Boris Diaw (who was later on named "Most Improved Player" of 2006) and Quentin Richardson to a trade with New York) the Suns were not expected to repeat their successful 2005 season. However, because of Nash's leadership and the solid play of teammates Marion and Boris Diaw, the Suns remained one of the elite teams in the NBA. They again were the highest scoring team in the league with seven players averaging double figures in points per game. Nash was voted as a first-time starter for the 2006 Western All-Star team. On May 17 it was announced that Nash had been named to the All-NBA first team.

Nash was widely viewed as an MVP candidate as the regular season came to a close. He set career highs in points (18.8), rebounds (4.2), field goal percentage (.512) and free throw percentage (a league-leading .921).[1] While he shot the ball more than the previous year, he averaged a league-leading 10.5 assists per game.[1]

He also became the fourth player in NBA history to shoot better than 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range (43.9), and 90% from the line, joining Larry Bird, Reggie Miller and Mark Price.[1] Along with Shawn Marion, Nash led the Suns to another Pacific Division title and 54 wins. He would later be awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canadian athlete of the year.[9]

Most Valuable Player 2006: Nash wins again

The MVP award was announced by the NBA on May 7, 2006 to be Steve Nash for the second year in a row.[10] The official announcement came only a day after the Phoenix Suns (playing against the Lakers) became the eighth team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series.

Nash is only the second point guard, along with Magic Johnson, to win the MVP award multiple times.[1] Nash joined eight other NBA players with back-to-back MVP awards: Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan.[1]

International career

Nash captained Canada men's national basketball team at the Sydney Olympics in 2000[1]. However, Canada won their final game of the tournament, a placement game against Russia, which enabled Canada to finish in 7th place, overall. Nash expressed disappointment in the result, saying "It hurts a lot. I feel like I let everybody down." Nevertheless, he did see a possible silver lining, saying "Hopefully kids [in Canada] will be inspired to play -- that's what I really hope."[11]

Nash again led Team Canada during an unsuccessful qualifying bid for the 2004 Summer Olympics. Nash was named tournament MVP,[12] but he admitted that he was disappointed that Canada did not qualify for the Olympics.

Player profile

Nash is the reigning winner of back-to-back MVP titles and seen as one of the premier point guards in the NBA. He led the league in assists in the last two consecutive seasons, averaging 11.5 assists per game in 2004-05 and 10.5 in the 2005-06 season.[6] He is an adept ball handler, as evidenced by his victory in the 2005 NBA All-Star Skills Contest.[1] He is a high percentage three-point shooter (over 42% lifetime average)[13] and is an outstanding free throw shooter: his lifetime average of 89.6% is third in NBA history.[14] Nash is also very effective playing the pick and roll as demonstrated with former Dallas teammate Dirk Nowitzki and later with the Suns' Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion.[15]

As a teammate, Nash is known for his playmaking abilities. This is best shown by his current stint with the Suns, where he helped the Suns improve from a 29-53 record in 2003-04 into a 62-20 record in 2004-05, reaching the Conference Finals for the first time in 11 years, which resulted in earning Nash his first MVP award. In the next season, Nash played a large role in leading Suns team into the Conference Finals, despite the injuries of all three big men Amare Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas and Brian Grant. Following the season, Nash was awarded his second MVP award. As quoted from NBA.com, team-mate Eric Piatkowski may have said it best: "when superman is healthy, he can help us win a championship".

On May 11, 2006, ESPN.com rated Nash as the 9th greatest point guard of all time.[16]

Off the court

In 2001, Nash formed the Steve Nash Foundation. Through grants to public service and nonprofit entities, the Foundation aims to grow health in kids by funding projects, that provide services to children affected by poverty, illness, abuse, or neglect, and create opportunity for education, play, and empowerment. The Foundation focuses its resources on communities in Phoenix, Arizona, and British Columbia, Canada. It was given charitable status in 2004.[17]

Nash is the sponsor of the Steve Nash Youth Basketball League in British Columbia that has grown over 10,000 participants.[1] He has also become involved with GuluWalk, a Canadian-operated charitable organization that raises awareness and funds for the war-affected children of northern Uganda.

After he won the MVP award, numerous companies approached him to be the spokesperson for their products and appear in advertisements, including MDG Computers Canada. He also went on a humanitarian trip to Central America. Nash also makes time meeting sick children in hospitals.

Another aspect of his life that has caused Nash to stand out more from other NBA players is his keen interest in art, politics, and the world around him. For one, he is a discerning reader, tackling the works of such authors as Immanuel Kant and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Nash also has a passion for travel, saying that "Whenever I travel, I feel almost calm. I love people. I love the world."[citation needed]

Nash's interest in politics led to controversy during the lead-up to the Iraq War, when he chose to wear a custom-made t-shirt that stated "No war — Shoot for peace" to the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. Nash explained his position by saying that the United States had provided insufficient evidence that Iraq was a threat and that the UN inspectors should be allowed to complete their mission.[18] Nash was supported by teammate Nick Van Exel among others, though David Robinson, a former Naval officer and fellow NBA player, attacked Nash's stance. A number of other commentators praised Nash for opposing a war that was widely unpopular, though journalist Skip Bayless argued that Nash was uninformed and advised him to "just shut up and play". [19][20]

On October 14, 2004, Nash and longtime girlfriend Alejandra Amarilla became the parents of twin girls, Lola and Bella, who were born in Phoenix. They married in June 2005. Dirk Nowitzki is the godfather of his children.

In May of 2006, Nash was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In the accompanying write-up by Charles Barkley, Nash was lauded for his unselfishness on the basketball court, and being "just a nice guy" who had paid for a new pediatric cardiology ward in a Paraguayan hospital.[21]

Nash is the subject of a book by Jeff Rud, Long Shot: Steve Nash's Journey to the NBA.

Nash suffers from a medical condition called spondylolisthesis, a forward movement of one of the vertebrae in the spine in relation to the one below it, causing muscle tightness and back pain. Nash tries not to let his condition mar his performance on the hardwood. He tries to keep moving while on the court. When he is taking a rest, he does not sit on the bench, but rather lies supine on the end line in order to keep from stiffening.[22]

In August 2006, Nash trained with the Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer as he is friends with Red Bull coach Bruce Arena. He was not allowed to participate in contact drills.

His College jersey (#11) was retired at Santa Clara, in September 2006.

He was mentioned in the Nelly Furtado song 'Promiscuous' in the line: "Is your game M.V.P. like Steve Nash"

Nash and a Montreal-based partner, Leonard Schlemm, will open the first Steve Nash Sports Club in the spring of 2007 in downtown Vancouver, a high-end, $5-million, 38,500-square-foot facility that will mirror Nash's own fitness philosophy.[23]

Career summary

  • First Team: 2005, 2006
  • Third Team: 2002, 2003
  • 2-time NBA regular season leader, assists per game: 2005 (11.5), 2006 (10.5)[1]
  • 2-time NBA regular season leader, assists: 2005 (861), 2006 (826)
  • 1-time winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canadian athlete of the year: 2005
  • 3-time winner of the Lionel Conacher Award as Canadian male athlete of the year: 2002, 2005, 2006
  • NBA regular season leader, free throw percentage: 2006 (.921)
  • NBA league leader in assists per 48 minutes: 2004 (12.6)[24], 2005 (16.1)[25], 2006 (14.2)[26]

Career transactions

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Steve Nash Info Page - Bio, NBA.com, retrieved 13 February 2007.
  2. ^ Ulmer, Mike, "Nash's roots extend to pub", Toronto Sun, 27 September 2000.
  3. ^ "Flashback Steve Nash: Kid Canada. Rise Magazine, 2007-03-20. Retrieved: 2007-04-01
  4. ^ "I can't wait another 4 years", FIFAworldcup.com, 5 July 2006.
  5. ^ a b McPeek, Jeramie, "The Canadian Kid", Fastbreak Magazine, Sept/Oct 1996.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Steve Nash Info Page - Career Stats and Totals, NBA.com, retrieved 13 February 2007.
  7. ^ Carlton, Chuck, "Cuban takes his act to Letterman", DallasNews.com, 15 June 2006.
  8. ^ "Steve Nash Named 2004-05 NBA MVP", NBA.com, 8 May 2005.
  9. ^ "Steve Nash wins Toronto Star's Lou Marsh Trophy as top Canadian athlete", SLAM! Sports, retrieved 14 February 2007.
  10. ^ "Suns’ Steve Nash Wins Second Consecutive MVP Award", NBA.com, 7 May 2006.
  11. ^ Daniels, Craig, "Nash lays the groundwork", Toronto Sun, 29 September 2000.
  12. ^ "USA Basketball wins Olympic Qualifying gold", InsideHoops.com, 1 September 2003.
  13. ^ NBA History, NBA.com, retrieved 13 February 2007.
  14. ^ NBA History, NBA.com, retrieved 13 February 2007.
  15. ^ Pelton, Kevin, "Every Play Counts: The Phoenix Pick-and-Roll", 82 games, 5 December 2005.
  16. ^ "10 greatest point guards ever", ESPN.com, 11 May 2006.
  17. ^ "The Steve Nash Foundation" retrieved 21 February 2007.
  18. ^ John Hollinger, "Steve speaks out", Sports Illustrated, 7 February 2003.
  19. ^ Alfano, Sean, "Sports Columnists, Athletes, and Dissent", Poynteronline.org, 15 April 2003.
  20. ^ O'Keefe, Derrick, "Appreciating Steve Nash, basketball's anti-war MVP", Seven Oaks Magazine, 31 May 2005.
  21. ^ Charles Barkley, "Steve Nash", Time Magazine, 30 April 2006.
  22. ^ McCallum, Jack, "Point Guard from Another Planet", Sports Illustrated, retrieved 13 February 2007.
  23. ^ "First Steve Nash Sports Club to Open in Vancouver", CNW Group, retrieved 13 February 2007.
  24. ^ NBA Statistics, ESPN.com, retrieved 13 February 2007.
  25. ^ NBA Statistics, ESPN.com, retrieved 13 February 2007.
  26. ^ NBA Statistics, ESPN.com, retrieved 13 February 2007.
Preceded by NBA Most Valuable Player
2004-05, 2005-06 		Succeeded by
N/A
Preceded by Lou Marsh Trophy winner
2005 		Succeeded by
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