I’ve always loved the way Steve Nash played basketball. What an exciting player to watch.
Nash is the only NBA player to be born in South Africa, but Canadians take pride that he was raised in BC and played high school ball for St. Michael’s University School in Victoria. My oldest brother Jeff is the same age as Nash. And while going to high school at St. George’s in Vancouver, he had the opportunity to play against the NBA legend.
Nash was very well known by the time the two schools played. When they hit the court, defence was very minimal on both sides. Nash scored 64 points and the St. George’s player who was guarding him netted 29. At the end of the day, with Nash leading the way for St. Michael’s, it was a one-sided contest.
Nash ended up averaging 21.3 points, 11.2 assists and 9.1 rebounds in his senior high school year. Almost a triple-double over the entire season! Wow! I’ll return to Steve Nash’s basketball career in a moment. But many know that Nash was also a talented soccer player – as was my brother Jeff. Not only did they lock horns on the court, they also played against each other on the pitch. I’m pleased to say that the results, for Jeff, were much better for him. Both Nash and his brother Martin played on the same youth soccer team, coached by their father. Martin Nash, of course, went on to play with the Vancouver Whitecaps, a team that Steve has been a co-owner of since the team joined the MLS in 2011. Now back to Nash’s legendary basketball career. After that game against St. George’s, Nash actually approached my dad, who had been videotaping the entire game. He asked if he could borrow the tape for his college applications to Santa Clara University. My dad said he could borrow it as long as he returned it. Suffice it to say that Nash got into Santa Clara and went on to greatness. But my dad never did see that tape again. Too bad. It would have made a great souvenir. Although Nash’s high school coach, Ian Hyde-Lay, sent out letters of inquiry on Steve’s behalf to over 30 schools in the USA, Nash still wasn’t recruited until Santa Clara coach, Dick Davey, requested video footage of the young star. Who knows? Maybe it was my dad’s video that changed the course of Nash’s young career! After witnessing the video, Davey reputedly hoped the Nash would go unnoticed by other schools. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize Nash was a pretty special player. Nash quickly received a scholarship from the Santa Clara Broncos for the 1992-93 season. At that time, 5 years had passed since the Broncos had appeared in the prestigious NCAA tournament. That all changed when Steve led the Broncos to a WCC tournament title and an upset victory over second seeded Arizona in the first round of the NCAA division 1 tournament.
After a four-year college career, in which Nash led the Broncos to three NCAA tournament appearances, he was selected 15th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 1996 NBA Draft.
Nash’s heroes growing up were Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. “I think they were just so competitive and creative,” Nash once said in an interview. “Especially Isiah, he was somebody that wasn't very tall. He had played the game mostly on the floor and it made me feel that I could find a way to do the same.”
Nash played two seasons of limited minutes with the Suns before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Playing regular minutes, Nash established himself as a formidable point guard with remarkable passing abilities. In Dallas, he began a decade as one of the best players in the NBA.
But it’s not until he returned to Phoenix in 2004 as a free agent that his career truly began took off.
Nash already had a reputation as an amazing playmaker. But with the Suns, he led the NBA in assists 5 times (‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘10 and ‘11). A skilled shooter, he also led the league in free throw percentage twice (‘06 & ‘10) and was regularly among the league leaders in three point shooting.
His career culminated in back-to-back NBA MVP honours in 2005 and 2006, becoming the first Canadian to win the award. In 2006, ESPN also named him the 9th greatest point guard of all-time. And while actively playing, he was awarded the Order of Canada in 2007 and received an Honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Victoria in 2009.
After eight seasons with the Suns, Nash signed with the L.A. Lakers in hopes of capturing a title. He played two seasons with the Lakers before calling it a career in 2014. With 10,335 assists, Nash retired with the third most assists all-time. Absolutely legendary.
Beyond the court, Nash used his influence to create a better community. While still with the Mavericks, he formed the Steve Nash Foundation in 2001 with the aim to fund educational and athletic projects that support kids affected by poverty, illness and abuse.
We all know Steve gave his all with the Mavericks, Suns, Lakers and his community. In his first year of eligibility, Nash was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in 2018. And this past year, he was named to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. In my humble opinion, I think he should have gone in two years prior when he was first eligible. Thank you Steve for all the exciting moments you brought us during your NBA career. I’ve got to say that watching you play have given me memories I’ll never forget. Meeting him was even more memorable. #ShanksForTheMemories
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About Bob Shanks
I am the Canucks Autism Network's Top Fundraiser, having raised over $200,000 since I began in 2012. |