Today, Steve Nash officially announced his retirement from professional basketball. Although we all knew this day would come, it is still an emotional experience for his fans, and basketball fans across the world. Basketball players everywhere strive to emulate Nash’s game: he is the quintessential example of what a floor general should be. Nash was in his prime at the time I was figuring out what type of player I wanted to be. Although I am not a professional basketball player, I may have never found my place on the basketball court without watching Nash, and I thank him for that.
At first, I noticed many parallels between Nash and myself. We’re both just a couple of scrawny boys who look like they belong on a soccer field (Nash more than I, trust me). And, before Andrew Wiggins, Nash was the biggest claim to fame that we Canadians had in basketball.
Then I saw him play. The unassuming quickness and agility. The behind the back and no look passes. The ball-handling. The shooting (Nash has four of the 10 “50-40-90” seasons in NBA History). It was his type of game I decided to pursue as a young player, and it is what has kept me interested and involved in basketball for as long as I have been.
Sure, there were other players that I could see myself in while I was growing up—Mike Bibby and Jason Williams come to mind. But no one did it the way Nash did. He wasn’t just a flashy passer but was also an invaluable teammate. A true playmaker, he finished third on the all-time assists leaderboard behind only John Stockton and Jason Kidd.
Nash was also a winner. When I think about him I think about more than just the passes and highlight plays; I think about the bloody nose against the Spurs, the Robert Horry hip-check out of bounds, and the many heated mid-2000s playoff matchups against the Spurs and Lakers. Nash was a true player and winner, and if that Suns team he won his two MVPs with could have stuck together, only our imaginations can tell us what might have been.
Nash was a true professional in his 18 seasons in the league. One of the all-time greats at the point guard position, he had two MVP trophies and no distracting off-court issues. He was one of basketball’s true warriors in terms of his dedication to try to stay healthy and fit to play.
Thank you, Steve Nash, for what you have done for the game over nearly two decades. You will be missed.
The Heat Check Magazine 