1. Steve Nash played 18 seasons in the NBA, where he was an eight-time All-Star, a seven-time All-NBA selection, and a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player.
89 Facts About Steve Nash
1. 2.
Steve Nash grew up playing several sports, and after a successful high school basketball career in British Columbia, earned a scholarship to Santa Clara University in California.
3.
Steve Nash graduated from Santa Clara as the team's all-time leader in assists.
4.
Steve Nash was taken as the 15th pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, but had little impact and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998.
5.
At various points in his career, Steve Nash led the league in assists and free throw percentage.
6.
Steve Nash has been honoured for his contributions to various philanthropic causes.
7.
Steve Nash was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2007 and invested to the order in 2016, and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Victoria in 2008.
8.
Steve Nash has been a co-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer since the team entered the league in 2011.
9.
In 2021, Steve Nash was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
10.
Steve Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and English father, John, on 7 February 1974.
11.
Steve Nash's family moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, when he was 18 months old, before settling in Victoria, British Columbia.
12.
Steve Nash often played soccer and ice hockey with his younger brother Martin, and he did not start playing basketball until he was 12 or 13 years old; he played rugby and lacrosse.
13.
Steve Nash was a neighbour to future NHL stars Russ and Geoff Courtnall, who used to babysit him and played soccer coached by Nash's father.
14.
Steve Nash originally attended Mount Douglas Secondary School in Saanich, British Columbia, but after his grades began to drop, his parents decided to enroll him at St Michaels University School, a private school in Victoria.
15.
That changed when Steve Nash led the Broncos to a WCC tournament title and an upset win over the No 2 seeded Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
16.
In that game, Steve Nash scored six straight free throws in the last 30 seconds of the contest.
17.
Steve Nash had played the game mostly on the floor and it made me feel that I could find a way to do the same.
18.
Steve Nash had spent the previous summer honing his skills, playing with the Canadian national team and working out with established NBA players Jason Kidd and Gary Payton.
19.
Santa Clara again captured the WCC title, and for the second consecutive year, Steve Nash was named Conference Player of the Year, the first Bronco to repeat since Kurt Rambis.
20.
Steve Nash scored 28 points in leading the No 10 seed Broncos to a first-round upset win over No 7 seed Maryland, but then the Broncos were eliminated by Kansas.
21.
Steve Nash's performances ensured that he earned an honourable mention All-America as a senior by The Associated Press and the USBWA.
22.
Steve Nash missed 25 mid-season games due to an ankle injury, but came back to record six double-doubles in the last month of play.
23.
Steve Nash finished the season with averages of 8.6 points and 4.9 assists per game.
24.
Steve Nash now had a supportive environment in which he could thrive.
25.
Steve Nash was now an All-Star, increasingly appearing in television commercials and, with Finley and Nowitzki, a part of the Dallas Mavericks "Big Three".
26.
Nowitzki and Steve Nash led the Mavericks from a 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.
27.
Steve Nash attempted to negotiate a long-term contract with Cuban, who was paying Walker, Finley, Nowitzki and Jamison nearly $50 million in combined salaries that season.
28.
Steve Nash joined a Suns team which had emerging young players in Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson, and Amar'e Stoudemire.
29.
The Suns were again the highest-scoring team in the league with seven players averaging double figures in points per game, and Steve Nash was voted for the first time to start for the 2006 Western All-Star team.
30.
Steve Nash received 129 first-place votes and 645 total points from the panel of 129 media members.
31.
Steve Nash narrowly missed being MVP a third consecutive time, coming in second with 44 first place votes to 83 for Dirk Nowitzki.
32.
On 21 January 2010, Steve Nash was named as the starting point guard for the West for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.
33.
In February 2012, Steve Nash was named to his eighth All-Star Game.
34.
On 21 April 2012, Steve Nash passed Oscar Robertson for career assists versus the Denver Nuggets.
35.
Steve Nash considered signing with New York or Toronto, but he decided that Los Angeles was the best fit for him and his family.
36.
Steve Nash switched his jersey number, as his customary No 13 was retired by Los Angeles in honour of Wilt Chamberlain.
37.
Steve Nash was expected to miss at least one week, but was out of the lineup for close to seven weeks.
38.
Steve Nash struggled with Dwight Howard to run the pick and roll, a play that D'Antoni had expected would be a staple for the Lakers.
39.
Steve Nash missed the last eight games of the season with a right hip injury that had caused nerve damage in his right hamstring.
40.
Steve Nash missed the last two games of the series after recurring issues with his hip and hamstring.
41.
Steve Nash returned on 4 February 2014, shooting 3-for-6 for 7 points.
42.
Steve Nash only played in three preseason games before he started to feel more pain in his back.
43.
Steve Nash announced his retirement from playing on 21 March 2015.
44.
Steve Nash refused due to health concerns and his wanting to retire as a Laker in gratitude for the opportunity given by the club.
45.
Steve Nash was later approached by another former team of his, the Dallas Mavericks, to have one last season with them instead, but he declined due to his aforementioned health concerns.
46.
On 25 September 2015, it was confirmed that Steve Nash would take on part-time consulting duties for the Golden State Warriors.
47.
On 19 December 2017, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced that eligibility for induction into the Hall of Fame was decreased to three years after retirement, which allowed for Steve Nash to be eligible to be enshrined in 2018.
48.
Steve Nash was formally inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on 7 September 2018.
49.
On 3 September 2020, Steve Nash was announced as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.
50.
On 3 March 2021, Steve Nash was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for February, becoming the first Nets head coach to earn the honor since his former teammate Jason Kidd won it twice in 2014.
51.
Steve Nash won a bronze medal at the Canada Games and won a silver medal at the Summer Universiade, losing to Team USA in a closely contested final, which included players such as Michael Finley and Damon Stoudamire.
52.
At the 1999 Tournament of the Americas, Steve Nash led Canada to the silver medal, qualifying the team for the Olympics for the first time in 12 years; he was named tournament MVP.
53.
Canada was eliminated in the quarterfinals with a five-point loss to France and Steve Nash left the court in tears.
54.
Steve Nash again led Team Canada during qualifying for the 2004 Summer Olympics at the FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
55.
Steve Nash led the tournament in assists and was named tournament MVP, but Canada finished fourth, missing out on the three Olympic spots available.
56.
That was the last time Steve Nash played for Canada; he was reportedly upset about the firing of head coach Jay Triano in 2004.
57.
On 8 May 2012, Steve Nash became general manager of the Canadian senior national team.
58.
On 5 March 2019, Steve Nash transitioned to a senior advisor role and was succeeded as general manager by Rowan Barrett, his former national team teammate.
59.
Steve Nash was praised for his playmaking, ball-handling skills and shooting.
60.
Steve Nash was particularly effective playing the pick and roll, especially with Nowitzki when he was with the Mavericks and later with the Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion under head coach Mike D'Antoni.
61.
Further, Steve Nash was responsible for seven of his teammates attaining career-highs in season scoring.
62.
Steve Nash had previously made statements about his intention to bring Major League Soccer to Vancouver as early as 2011, which he has succeeded in doing.
63.
Steve Nash joined the USL-1's Vancouver Whitecaps team's ownership group in July 2008, and in March 2009, Vancouver was officially named as a future MLS expansion city, set to join the league in 2011.
64.
Steve Nash occasionally attends practice for his co-owned team, called Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
65.
Steve Nash cited his twin daughters and wanting to have role models for them to look up to as a reason for supporting the league.
66.
On 5 January 2016, it was announced that Steve Nash was part of a group who purchased a $21 million stake in La Liga club Mallorca.
67.
In 2001, Steve Nash met Alejandra Amarilla in New York City.
68.
In March 2016, Steve Nash became engaged to Lilla Frederick, a former Pepperdine University and junior women's US team volleyball player.
69.
In 2006, Steve Nash was referenced in Canadian singer Nelly Furtado's song "Promiscuous", leading him to deny rumours that they were romantically involved.
70.
Steve Nash is married to former professional ice hockey player Manny Malhotra.
71.
Steve Nash is the godfather of Toronto Raptors star RJ Barrett.
72.
Steve Nash has a medical condition called spondylolisthesis, which causes muscle tightness and back pain.
73.
Steve Nash founded the Jim Jennings Memorial Endowment Fund, established in honour of a volunteer staff member at Santa Clara University who served the basketball team for more than 20 years.
74.
Steve Nash became involved with GuluWalk, a Canadian-operated charitable organization that raises awareness and funds for the war-affected children of northern Uganda.
75.
In May 2006, Steve Nash was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
76.
On 28 December 2007, it was announced that Steve Nash would receive Canada's highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada, and on 3 June 2008, it was announced that Steve Nash would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
77.
Steve Nash is selective in his endorsements, preferring companies he deems socially responsible.
78.
When Dirk Nowitzki arrived in the NBA from Germany, he and Steve Nash became close friends, in part because they enjoyed watching soccer together.
79.
Steve Nash, whose father was born in the Tottenham district of London, is a lifelong Tottenham Hotspur supporter, and has expressed interest in owning a minority stake in the club.
80.
Steve Nash is a fan of Spain's Barcelona, and Brazilian team Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, which his former Suns teammate Leandro Barbosa supports.
81.
In July 2013, Steve Nash participated in a training session with the Italian soccer club Inter Milan at the New York Red Bulls' facilities in New Jersey.
82.
Steve Nash trained with the New York Cosmos B of the American fourth-division National Premier Soccer League in 2015.
83.
In 2023, Steve Nash took part in The Soccer Tournament as a guest of Como.
84.
In 2007, Steve Nash wrote and produced an 81-second commercial for Nike titled "Training Day", directed by Julian Schnabel's daughter Lola, which gained popularity as a viral video on YouTube.
85.
Steve Nash started a film production company together with his cousin, filmmaker Ezra Holland, and intends to produce independent films.
86.
Steve Nash has worn the shoe since February 2008, but Nike produced only 5,000 pairs for sale.
87.
In October 2013, Steve Nash appeared in the music video for "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars.
88.
In 2013, Steve Nash was one of the recipients of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards presented by Canadian Immigrant magazine.
89.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Steve Nash became the first NBA player in Olympic history to carry the torch and light the Olympic cauldron.