Steve Nash – one of the greatest to play the game
Steve Nash, the greatest Canadian to ever play in the NBA, announced his retirement on March 21, calling it quits after 18 seasons. Nash last played for the Los Angeles Lakers.
A native of Victoria, British Columbia, Nash went on to play college basketball at Santa Clara University in California. Nash had his number retired from the Santa Clara Broncos following four seasons with the team. In the 1996 NBA Draft, Nash would be selected in the first round by the Phoenix Suns – the team he would call home for his first two seasons before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Nash began earning league-wide respect for his playmaking abilities; however, Nash’s career never quite erupted until he returned to the Suns via free agency in 2004. Nash headlined a great core of young players in Phoenix, and the team won a league high 62 games in his first season. Nash averaged 11.5 assists per game with high shooting percentages to become the first Canadian player to win the NBA’s MVP award – success that the Canadian star would repeat one year later, earning his second consecutive MVP title.
Nash averaged both double-digit points and assists per game in seven of the eight seasons he would spend with the Suns. Nash moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012 in an attempt to wrap up his decorated career with an NBA Championship. The decision highlighted a team that would feature three proven superstars with Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant playing alongside the Canadian star.
The experiment in the Golden State never truly flourished, however, as Nash’s health hindered the remainder of his career. At the age of 41, injuries would be the reason for Nash’s abrupt departure from basketball. Over the course of three seasons under contract with the Lakers, Nash would only play 65 games during an injury-riddled stretch.
While Nash managed two MVP awards, eight all-star game appearances, and third all-time in assists, his legacy may be more impactful in the years to follow. Despite being one of the most prolific passers in NBA history, his contribution to Canada may be his greatest achievement. The Lou Marsh award, awarded to Canada’s top athlete, would be an honour given to Nash in 2005. With that, and his remarkable career, the point-guard brought hope to Canadian basketball.
Nash is the catalyst for a new era of Canadian basketball, giving hope to young Canadians to pursue their dreams of being in the NBA, and results have backed up the claim. The last two NBA drafts have had Canadians as the first overall picks – Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins respectively. Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors have enjoyed a resurgence in play and support from the entire country. Canadian basketball is growing to levels that have never been imagined, with many active NBA players as well as NCAA prospects playing significant roles with their teams.
“We The North” has taken flight in Canada, and Steve Nash, the greatest Canadian player of all time, should be thanked significantly.