Steve Nash
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Stephen John Nash (born February 7, 1974 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a star Canadian basketball player.
Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, Nash is a starting point guard for the NBA's Phoenix Suns and was named to the 2005 NBA All-Star Game. He was also an All-Star in 2002 and 2003 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. In 2005, Nash beat out Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award award. His nicknames include "Hair Canada" (punning Vince Carter's nickname, also due to Nash's shaggy coif), Kid Canada and Nasty Nash, given to him by former teammate Shawn Bradley for "personifying all that is nasty". The nickname Nashty is a slight variation of the nickname given to Nash by Bradley but is used by the fans.
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Strengths and Weaknesses
As of 2005, Nash is seen as one of the premier Point Guards in the NBA. He is one of the most creative and intelligent players, averaging double digits in assists while maintaining a low turnover rate. He is a natural floor leader (demonstrated by the fact that his addition turned the lowly Phoenix Suns into a powerhouse) and arguably the best fast-break passer in the NBA. His ballhandling is superb, as seen in the 2005 NBA All-Star Skills Contest, which he won. In addition, he is a excellent shooter who reliably hits three-point baskets. Nash is also a "clutch player", who takes and makes the last shot for his team.
His one big weakness is defense. His man-to-man defense is suspect, and his rebounding is mediocre at best. Critics point out that Nash's play is somewhat one-dimensional, and while his offensive play is stellar, his weak defensive skills lower his overall performance. In terms of allround play, Nash is not comparable to other elite Point Guards like Jason Kidd or Gary Payton, who are devastating on both ends of the court.
Biography
Early years
Nash grew up in Victoria, British Columbia and played high school basketball for the St. Michael's University School Blue Devils. One of his highest-scoring teammates was his brother, Martin Nash, now a professional soccer player. In his senior season, Steve averaged nearly a triple-double per game—more than 21 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds—led his team to the BC AAA provincial championship title, and was named the province's player of the year. But because of the limited attention afforded the Canadian high school basketball circuit, Steve Nash went completely unrecruited by the US NCAA schools. His coach, Ian Hyde-Lay, sent letters of inquiry and highlight reels on behalf of Nash to over 30 American universities—including Duke, Maryland, Indiana, Villanova, Arizona, Washington, and Pepperdine—but all either summarily sent refusals or didn't bother to respond at all.
But acting on a tip, Santa Clara University head coach Dick Davey was intrigued enough 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 Steve 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." [1] (http://www.nba.com/suns/news/cover_story.html) Davey's foresight would soon pay dividends beyond anyone's anticipation. Steve Nash was awarded a scholarship by Santa Clara, the lone school that recruited him, before the 1992-93 season. He would go on to become one of the greatest players in the history of the West Coast Conference.
College
In his freshman year at Santa Clara University, Steve Nash led the Broncos to an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament after they captured the West Coast Conference Tournament championship. Nash was the first freshman ever named MVP of the WCC tourney. In the first round of the NCAA tournament that year, he orchestrated one of the most improbable upsets in the history of college basketball, leading the 15th-seeded Broncos to a 64-61 victory over the 2nd-seeded prohibitive favorites, the Arizona Wildcats. They were the first ever 15th seed to defeat a #2, and Nash hit six straight free throws over the final 31 seconds to secure the victory.
Steve Nash again performed impressively in his sophomore campaign, but the Broncs failed to realize expectations and finished far beyond an NCAA bid. However, the Broncos would return to glory the next year, largely on the shoulders of Nash's tremendous play. Nash led the conference in points, assists, and three-point percentage. He was the first player to lead the WCC in both points and assists in the same season since the legendary John Stockton, a player to whom many were beginning to compare Nash. The comparisons continue to this day. Unfortunately, Nash and his teammates couldn't muster a victory against Mississippi State in the opening round. Nash briefly considered early entrance into the NBA draft after his junior season, but decided against it after learning he wouldn't be drafted above the 2nd round. He would have to improve his stock the next year.
Leading his mid-major team to victories against such basketball juggernauts as UCLA and Michigan State in the opening months of his senior season, Nash did just that, and more. He again claimed the conference Player of the Year honors, becoming the first Bronco to do so twice since erstwhile Lakers star Kurt Rambis, and was named Honorable Mention All-America. Despite a loss in the conference tournament, the Broncos were given an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament—rare for a mid-major team—on the strength of their daunting regular-season performance. Steve and the #10 Broncs proved they belonged by upsetting the #7 Maryland Terrapins, the last of many NCAA teams that Steve would make regret passing him over. But Steve had a new challenge on the horizon, a challenge that just a few years prior few thought he ever had a hope of attaining: a career in the National Basketball Association.
First stint in Phoenix
Nash was selected by the Phoenix Suns 15th overall in 1st round of the NBA draft in 1996. No Canadian had ever been drafted so high. But this accomplishment meant little to Suns fans, who vigorously booed his selection. Despite his impressive college accomplishments, he was a relative unknown because he didn't play in one of the major college conferences like the Big East, the ACC, or the Pac-10. He was short, unathletic, and his defense was poor. Little did it matter, however, as he sat behind NBA stars Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson in his first two seasons in the NBA. In his rookie year in 1996-97, Nash averaged just 3.3 points and 2.1 assists in very limited playing time. However, with persistence his minutes grew, and the next year he averaged 9.1 points and 3.4 assists, playing more than twice the minutes he did than in his rookie campaign. However, it would be the last time Steve Nash would compete in a Suns uniform for six years.
Dallas
Nash had met and befriended Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Donnie Nelson, son of head coach Don Nelson, back when Steve starred at Santa Clara and Donnie worked for the nearby Golden State Warriors. Following his spell in the Bay Area, Donnie served the Suns, and it was he who convinced the team to select Nash with the 15th pick. At last, after joining his father in Dallas, Donnie persuaded the senior Nelson and the Mavericks organization to seize Nash upon learning Steve was on the Phoenix trading block. On Draft Day, June 25, 1998, the two clubs struck a deal. Nash was traded to the Mavericks in exchange for Martin Müürsepp, Bubba Wells, the draft rights to Pat Garrity, and a first-round draft pick which was later used to select Shawn Marion.
Nash's first year in Dallas, the lockout-shortened season of 1999, all but erased the gains he had fought so hard for the previous season. Plagued by injury, Nash averaged a paltry 7.9 points and 5.5 assists, despite playing nearly 10 minutes more per game than he did the previous season. His relationship with the Dallas fans was frosty, and they booed the newcomer throughout the season, lambasting the trade their abysmal team had conducted.
In the 1999-2000 season, however, prospects improved considerably. Nash missed 25 games due to an ankle injury, but came back to notch six double-doubles in the last month of play, finishing with 8.6 PPG and 4.9 APG. Dallas missed the playoffs again, but second-year teammate Dirk Nowitzki was quickly blossoming into a superstar, veteran Michael Finley put up 22.6 points a game (a career high as of 2005) and earned a berth in the All-Star Game, and, perhaps most importantly, eccentric billionaire Mark Cuban bought the team. Dallas had not made the playoffs since 1990, but Cuban's fresh vision, keen business acumen, and rabid basketball fandom would be just what the Mavs needed. Whereas most owners would wear business suits, sit separately from the team, and watch the game impassively, Cuban would sit right by the bench in jeans and a T-shirt and react vociferously to every single play on the court. Nash finally had the teammates, management, and milieu to forge a successful career in the NBA.
In 2000-01, Nash performed spectacularly, averaging 15.3 PPG and 7.3 APG in a breakout season, garnering Comeback Player of the Year honors from Basketball Digest. Nowitzki and Finley were also playing their best, and Cuban brought in All-Star Juwan Howard to complement the high-scoring trio. Coach Don Nelson's philosophy was to let Nash have the ball and conduct the team's potent offense from the point guard position. The result was a playoff berth for the first time in more than a decade. Many commentators said that Nash should have had a spot in the All-Star Game. Dallas lost in the second round, but it was only the beginning of a memorable run for Nash and the Mavericks.
The next year was Nash's best to date. Nash posted career-highs of 17.9 PPG and 7.7 APG in the 2001-02 campaign, earned a spot in the NBA All-Star Game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. He was now a genuine superstar, increasingly appearing in television commercials and, along with Finley and Nowitzki, constituted one-third of the formidable Dallas Mavericks "Big Three". The trio even made a memorable cameo appearance together in the summer 2002 basketball flick Like Mike, starring Lil Bow Wow. Dallas again made the playoffs and again lost in the second round, but signs were encouraging.
Confuting his critics who dismissed his remarkable '01-'02 campaign as a fluke, Nash reprised his prior season's performance almost identically in 2002-03, averaging 17.7 PPG and 7.3 APG, again earning All-Star and All-NBA Third Team honors. Directing the Dallas offense, Nash led the Mavs from an incredible 14-game winning streak to open the season all the way to the Western Conference Finals for the only the second time in franchise history, where they lost to eventual NBA champs the San Antonio Spurs.
Unfortunately, it would be the furthest Nash and his Big Three teammates would ever get. The 2003-04 season saw a drop-off in points for Nash, down to just 14.5, and he was left off the All-Star and All-NBA rosters. Ironically, however, his field-goal percentage was up from the past season, to 47.0% from 46.5%, and his assists average (8.8) and free-throw percentage (91.6%) were then-career highs. But Dallas did not make it past the first round of the playoffs, their worst finish since they were left out altogether in 1999-00.
Second stint in Phoenix
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Steve Nash was still a superstar, but he was now 30 years old and perhaps past his peak. German power forward Dirk Nowitzki was younger and roundly considered one of the 10 best basketball players in the world, already selected to three All-NBA teams--including the Second Team twice--in his first five seasons. Nowitzki was the franchise player and accepted as the future of Mavericks basketball. His best friend Steve Nash did not fit into those long-term plans. Nash's six-year, $33 million contract expired after the 2004 playoffs. He tried to negotiate a long-term contract with Cuban, but failed; Cuban did not want to lose Nash, but didn't want to risk signing the aging player to a long-term deal and instead offered a shorter contract. Then the Phoenix Suns came calling. Nash still had a home in Phoenix from his early NBA days and ties to the area. Unfazed by Nash's age, the Suns quickly offered him a six-year, $63 million contract. Nash was reluctant to leave Dallas, but Cuban refused to match the deal. After consulting with his close friends Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley, Nash signed a long-term contract with Phoenix and donned a Suns uniform for the first time in six seasons for the 2004-05 season.
The Phoenix Suns had two young superstars in forward Shawn Marion, who was selected by the Suns with a draft pick they received in the Nash deal, and forward-center Amare Stoudemire, the 2002-03 Rookie of the Year. Both cagers played for the USA bronze medal-winning Men's Basketball Team in the 2004 Athens Olympics. But the Suns also had an execrable 29-53 record in 2003-04. Aside from the additions of Nash and swingman Quentin Richardson, the line-up was essentially unchanged from the previous season, and most pundits projected them to finish towards the bottom of the Western Conference. No one anticipated the eclat the addition of Steve Nash to the line-up would make for the Phoenix Suns, and no one imagined the thirty-something Canadian would turn in undoubtedly the best season of his career.
Bucking the trend that had prevailed since the 1990's, head coach Mike D'Antoni, who had taken over midway through the previous season, decided to employ the "run and gun" style of basketball that was in vogue in the 1980's. Fielding a small, quick line-up, D'Antoni gave the ball to Nash and let him orchestrate a fast-break offense. Nash and his teammates would outrun their opponents to their end of the floor. Nash would then either pass the ball to a waiting teammate, penetrate into the lane for a lay-up, a foul, or a pass, or launch an outside shot. The result was the highest-scoring NBA team in a decade, averaging 110.4 points per game as a team during the regular season. Nash's precision passes and alley-oops to Stoudemire, Marion, Richardson, and Joe Johnson were fodder for many SportsCenter highlight reels, and the Phoenix Suns were roundly described as "the team that makes basketball fun again".
As the Suns' starting point guard and a veteran among youngsters, Steve Nash was the discernible leader of the team's dramatic turnaround. He averaged 15.5 PPG, an impressive total but more than 2 points less than his career high and just a little over half of NBA leading scorer Allen Iverson's figure (30.7). However, his field-goal shooting percentage was remarkable: 50.2%, a career high and a rare figure for a guard. This relatively low scoring average but high shooting percentage affirmed Steve Nash's status as an unselfish, "pass first" player and is reflective of the Suns' team-oriented philosophy. His assist total bore this out further: 11.5 APG, a career best and the best in the NBA; no one else had more than 9. Indeed, the last player to average more was John Stockton with 12.3 APG in 1995. He was also the only player in the NBA to average double figures in both points and assists, and one of only eight to average a double-double of any kind. Nash also ranked 6th in the league in both three-point percentage (43.1%) and free-throw percentage (88.7%). Perhaps Nash's most impressive individual accomplishment is his #3 ranking in the NBA in double-doubles, a statistic traditionally dominated by big men with high rebound totals, behind only Kevin Garnett and teammate Shawn Marion. Nash also earned his second career triple double on March 30th, recording 12 points, 12 assists, and a career-high 13 rebounds in just 27 minutes in a victory at home against the Philadelphia 76ers. Crucially, Amare Stoudemire, one of the top rebounders in the NBA, was forced to sit out the game with an injury, and the victory clinched the NBA Pacific Division title for the Suns.
Despite these individual accomplishments, however, most consider the Suns' dramatic and unexpected turnaround Nash's greatest coup of the 2004-05 season. The same team that had won just 29 games without Nash enjoyed an NBA-best 62-20 season in '04-'05 under Steve Nash's clear leadership. Nash's teammates were posting the best seasons of their careers across the board, and both they and outside observers attributed this squarely to Nash.
Early on in the season, with Phoenix dominating their competition from the very beginning, people were beginning to discuss Nash as an MVP candidate. Many people dismissed this, however, because of the prodigious talent surrounding him on the Suns, his low scoring average, and his notoriously deficient defense. Ironically, what fuelled legitimacy for his candidacy more than anything else was a mid-season injury. The Suns were 31-5 before Nash went down with an injury in the first half of a game against the Indiana Pacers. They lost that game, went 0-3 without him in their next three, and lost again his first game back before he got settled again and led his team to five straight victories and eight wins in their next nine games. The Miami Heat's Shaquille O'Neal, another player leading his new team to a #1 playoff seed, eventually emerged as Nash's chief competitor in the MVP race.
O'Neal had some clear advantages: a less-talented supporting cast (Dwyane Wade the only other Miami star of note to Phoenix's Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire), obviously dominant individual statistics (12th in PPG, 6th in rebounds per game, 6th in blocks per game, 1st in field-goal percentage), and his former team (the Los Angeles Lakers) finishing out of the play-offs after finishing in the NBA Finals the year before. (The Dallas Mavericks finished a strong 4th in the Western Conference without Nash.) Some suggested that the US news media on the MVP voting panel might be biased in favor of O'Neal because O'Neal is American, while Nash is a foreigner and an outspoken critic of the 2003 Iraq War.
But there were also clear advantages for Nash: the Miami Heat had been a play-off team without O'Neal, but the Suns weren't anywhere near the play-offs before Nash arrived. O'Neal has also won the award before, and voters are never quick to anoint repeat winners. Furthermore, the Suns play in the more competitive Western Conference. Dwyane Wade performed so well for the Heat alongside Shaq that he'd likely split some MVP votes with O'Neal, also. Many pointed out that despite Nash's nationality and outspoken politics, he had an excellent relationship with the American media, thrice earning All-Interview Team honors (voted by the media based on player accessibility and ability to provide interesting and informative quotes). Still, many thought Nash's only chance to win the award was to lead his team to the best overall record in the NBA, and even after he did that, oddsmakers favored O'Neal for the award.
Upon being named MVP, Nash admitted that his initial thought was that he did not belong, but he was happy to join his idols. When accepting the MVP trophy, Nash brought his teammates with him, emphasizing his team's support in gaining Phoenix first place. Runner-up Shaq O'Neal congradulated Nash, saying that the MVP win was good for Canada, but the playoffs mattered most. Miami's Stan van Gundy (and Shaq's head coach) was the most critical of Nash's selection of MVP, saying that while Nash was a great player, O'Neal's statistics made him the obvious choice.
As the playoffs started, Phoenix dispatched the Memphis Grizzlies in a 4 game sweep. After the series, Nash was announced as the NBA MVP. In the second round, the Suns were matched up against Nash's former club, the Dallas Mavericks. Nash averaged 30.3 points, 12 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game. He recorded his first playoff triple double, and scored a 2005 single game playoff high with 48 points, on Phoenix's way to a 4-2 series win which put the Suns in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1993. The Conference Finals found Nash and the Suns paired up with Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs, one of the NBA's toughest defensive unit. Nash would have a solid series, averaging 23.2 points, and 10.6 assists per game. Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Spurs would eventually take the series in 5 games, ending an otherwise bright season for the Suns on a sour note. Despite the loss, Nash and the Suns are still optimistic about the future of the franchise. Canadian TV ratings for the playoffs had been 30% higher than the past season, due to Nash's participation. Having the defensive-oriented San Antonio and Detroit in the finals, instead of the highly anticipated match-up of the first place Phoenix and Miami who were both also offensive powerhouses, helped to sink the NBA ratings for the finals.
MVP 2005: Nash as a remarkable anomaly
In 2005, Nash became one of the most distinctive players ever to win the NBA MVP award. He is the first Canadian and the second foreign-born player (Hakeem Olajuwon) to earn the honor. Along with Allen Iverson, he is one of only two players under 6'6" to garner the accolade in the last four decades. He is the first MVP who did not lead his team in scoring since Dave Cowens in 1972-73. (Ironically, the 2004-05 runner-up, Shaquille O'Neal, did not lead his team in scoring either.) He has the third-lowest all-time scoring average for an MVP, ahead of only Wes Unseld (13.8 in 1969) and Bill Russell (14.1 in 1965). Nash is just the fourth point guard ever to be named MVP--alongside the legends Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Cousy--and only the sixth guard altogether (Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan). Significantly to some, he is also the first Caucasian player to win the award since Larry Bird in 1985-86.
International Career
Steve Nash first attracted widespread notice in Canada when he captained Canada's Mens Basketball team at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. There was much TV coverage, due in part to Nash and Todd McCulloch being the only NBA players on Team Canada (while Team USA or the "Dream Team" has been all NBA players), and also because of the Toronto Raptor's successful playoff push earlier that spring. At one point, with a successful round-robin record and a berth in the quarter-finals of the tournament, commentators regarded Canada as a contender for a medal. This was followed by a heartbreaking loss in the quarters to France, by 5 points. However, Canada won their final game of the tournament, a placement game against Romania, which enabled Canada to finish 7th overall. Nash had a breakthough season with Dallas right after the Sydney Olympics.
Nash again led Team Canada during qualifying for the 2004 Olympics. During the tournament in Puerto Rico, after making it to the semis, Canada would qualify for Athens 2004 if they finished in the top three, so they had to win either the semi-final game or the third place match. Unfortunately, Canada loss the semi-final to the United States, and then the third place match to the home team Puerto Rico. Nash was named tournament MVP, but he admitted that he was dissapointed since Canada didn't qualify for the Olympics.
Personal
Steve comes from an athletic family. His father John Nash was a minor professional soccer player in South Africa. Martin Nash, Steve's brother, has made 30 appearances for the Canadian national soccer team. Steve 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. His father is a native of Tottenham, England, and Steve grew up rooting for Tottenham Hotspur, ironic since another "Spurs" team is now his conference rival. When Dirk Nowitzki arrived in the NBA from Germany, where soccer is the most popular sport, he and Steve Nash became close friends, in part because they could always watch soccer together.
Steve's father is English and his mother is Welsh. Steve was born in South Africa because of his father's soccer career, but the family relocated to Canada before he was 2 because they did not want to raise their children in an environment of apartheid. As his mother Jean later said, "I didn't want our son to grow up in a place where one group of people was second-class citizens." [2] (http://www.canoe.ca/2000GamesNash/nash_00sep27-sun.html)
Nash is the subject of a book by Jeff Rudd, Long Shot: Steve Nash's Journey to the NBA.
On October 14, 2004, Nash and longtime girlfriend Alejandra Amarilla became the parents of twin girls, Lola and Bella, who were born in a Phoenix hospital.
Career Summary
As of the end of the 2004-05 season.
- NBA MVP Awards: 1 (2004-05)
- NBA All-Star Game Selections: 3 (2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05)
- All-NBA First Team Selections: 1 (2004-05)
- All-NBA Second Team Selections: None.
- All-NBA Third Team Selections: 2 (2001-02, 2002-03)
Career averages
- Scoring: 12.8
- Rebounds: 2.6
- Assists: 6.7
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.0
- Three-Point Percentage: 41.8
- Free-Throw Percentage: 89.2
Best averages
- Scoring: 17.9 (2001-02)
- Rebounds: 3.3 (2004-05)
- Assists: 11.5 (2004-05)
- Field Goal Percentage: 50.2 (2004-05)
- Three-Point Percentage: 45.5 (2001-02)
- Free-Throw Percentage: 91.6 (2003-04)
External links
- NBA.com profile (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/steve_nash/)
- Basketball-Reference.com player page (http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nashst01.html)
- Suns.com with an article on Nash in his rookie season (http://www.nba.com/suns/news/fastbreak_nash_cover.html)
- Nash biography (http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Nash/Nash_bio.html)
- Nash's professional and college stats (http://basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=NashSt01)
- Nash profile (http://www.interbasket.net/players/stevenash.htm)
- 'Young Nash a Gem Waiting to Be Mined' - About Santa Clara's Coach Discovering Nash (http://santaclarabroncos.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/050905aad.html)
- Steves Blog (http://www.stevenash.net)
- SportsIllustrated.com Suns oust Mavericks in '05 Playoffs (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/basketball/nba/specials/playoffs/2005/05/21/bc.bkn.suns.mavericks.ap/index.html)de:Steve Nash