ZOMG! It's Steve Nash!

Have you ever heard of the National Basketball Association? The National Basketball Association, or NBA for short, is the professional and premiere basketball league the United States of America, and perhaps, the world. Players of diverse sizes, cultures and skill sets join the NBA in the hopes of gaining fame through showcasing their talents. One such player that has stood out is Steve Nash. Steve Nash is a talented NBA player from the Phoenix Suns and is also an amazing person off the court. Steve was born on February 2, 1974 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Though born in Africa, Steve is a Canadian citizen. As a kid, he played soccer, ice hockey and lacrosse.

Steve first learned to play basketball at around 12 or 13 years old, and this would be the start of a tremendous basketball career. He became a player for the St. Michaels University, his high school. In his senior year, he led the team to the British Columbia AAA Provincial Championship. He averaged an amazing triple-double of 21.3 points per game (ppg), 11.3 assists per game (apg), and 9.1 rebounds per game (rpg), earning him Player of the Year honours. Steve then moved on to college ball, a more intense level of play. He played for the Santa Clara Broncos. During Steve’s college stint, he led the broncos to the West Coast Championship, twice. By the end of his Broncos career, Steve ended up as the all-time leader in career assists, free-throw percentage and three-point shots made. Eventually, his #11 jersey was retired, becoming the first Bronco to be honoured as such. Steve then joined the ’96 NBA Draft and was taken as the 15th overall pick by the Phoenix Suns. Steve’s first two seasons were rough. Playing behind All-Star point guards (PG) in Jason Kidd, Kevin Johnson and Sam Cassell, Steve was left as the 4th PG option, drastically limiting his minutes. After the ’98 Draft, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and he made a big impact, blossoming to an All-Star PG. playing with a rising superstar in seven-foot Dirk Nowitzki and All-Star Michael Finley, Nash enjoyed immediate success. He increased his assists average to at least 7 apg, throwing crisp, perfect passes to spots where Dirk and Michael could easily finish. He also increased his scoring average. Steve and Dirk would be the league’s newest one-two punch. The two players made Dallas a West playoff contender. Steve dazzled crowds with amazing passes and awesome moves. Steve also developed a bond with Dirk and the two are best of friends to this day.
Despite a successful Dallas stint where he established himself as a great PG, owner Mark Cuban decided not to re-sign Nash as he wanted a team built around Dirk. Steve wound up at Phoenix again, and things would not be the same as his first years in Phoenix. The Suns had versatile, athletic and young guys in Shawn Marion, Amar’e Stoudemire, Quentin Richardson and Joe Johnson. Despite the talent, the Suns lacked leadership, which is what Steve provided. Then-coach Mike D’Antoni utilized a run-and-gun, up-tempo pace, electing to outscore than defend. With this, the Suns went from being a cellar dweller team to being a playoff contender. Steve won the MVP Award twice, for his on-court leadership, for elevating his game, for making his team better (the team was the most potent offensive team and had seven players average double-digit points), and for cementing his status as one of the best guards, ever. Phoenix then lost Shawn, Joe, Quentin Raja Bell and Boris Diaw for Shaquille O’Neal, a former MVP, Grant Hill and Jason Richardson, believing they would be the last piece of the championship puzzle. Since re-joining the Suns, he has led Phoenix to the playoffs four times. By the ’08-’09 season, D’Antoni was replaced by defense coach Terry Porter. Terry changed the Suns’ game, which brought a struggle. Phoenix missed the playoffs, Steve’s production dropped, he failed to reach 10+ apg and he lost MVP honours to good friend Dirk. Phoenix fired Porter and brought in Alvin Gentry, along with the up-tempo pace. The Suns acquired Goran Dragic, Robin Lopez and Channing Frye, and are now back as one of the West’s best teams. Steve is back to form, leading the Suns’ furious rampage back to the playoffs. He keeps the Sun’s offense purring with perfect passes to either Amar’e or Robin for a power finish, to Jason for a spectacular dunk, or to Channing and Grant for outside shots. He resurrected Grant and Channing’s career and is helping Robin and Goran adjust. At age 36, he shows no signs of slowing down. Steve continues to push the pace and help his team score. He currently leads the league in total assists and his team is loving it. Steve may not average a triple-double or elate the crowd with dunks, but he does it by sharing the ball, and that is Steve’s game. Won Interestingly, he won the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, an obstacle course for PGs, last All-Star Saturday, and played out the All-Star Game. He finished the game with 4 points, 13 assists and 2 turnovers in under 20 minutes, proving he can still run with the league’s young and best players.

Steve’s not all basketball though. Off-season, he lives in NYC with wife Alejandra and twin daughters Lola and Bella. Steve plays soccer with Dirk and has even played against the NY Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. In 2001, Steve founded the Steve Nash Foundation, with a purpose to foster health in kids and raise funds for the underprivileged. The Foundation gained a charitable status in 2004 and was awarded the Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy in 2008. Steve is an active participant of humanitarian work and environmental care. He has participated and/or supported numerous charities, most recently in the relief for those stricken by the earthquake in Haiti. For his work, Steve was named by newspaper USA Today as the Most Caring Athlete for 2007. He also received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his community work. The awards continued on as he was bestowed the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada for outstanding work on, and especially off the court. To this day, Steve continues to inspire people in his community through his foundation, pleasing personality, touching and changing the lives of the needy in both Phoenix and British Columbia.

There is no doubt Steve is hands-down one of the best people to ever grace this planet. He is a tremendous player and a nice, caring and generous person. His teammates, peers and coaches love him; young point guards look up to him and his fans praise him. The people his charity has helped are very grateful to Steve, but Steve still remains humble. It isn’t hard to find someone that likes Steve Nash. Perhaps now you’ll believe someone when the say Steve Nash is awesome, or at least that’s the hope of this humble writer.