Steve Nash played a variety of sports as a youngster in Canada, but ultimately settled on basketball as his sport of choice. He has enjoyed a stellar career in the NBA and has used his fame and money to contribute to many charitable causes.
Steve Nash Growing Up
Nash was born in South Africa in 1974. His father was a professional soccer player, so young Steve, his father and mother spent a lot of time travelling the world. Eventually they settled in Canada, first in Regina, Saskatchewan, and then in Victoria, British Columbia.
Throughout his school years, Nash played a variety of sports including soccer, lacrosse, rugby and, like any good Canadian kid, hockey. In eighth grade Nash discovered basketball and told his mother that he would one day be an NBA star. He attended St. Michaels University School where he averaged nearly a triple-double with 21.3 points, 11.2 assists and 9.1 rebounds and led his team to the British Columbia AAA provincial championship title.
Nash’s College Years
Despite his impressive high school record and letters sent by his St. Michael’s coach, Nash had trouble getting the attention of college basketball scouts. After receiving many rejection letters from over 30 American universities, he caught the eye of Santa Clara University head coach Dick Davey. In his four years as a Santa Clara Bronco, Nash helped his team win a West Coast Conference (WCC) title three times and was named Conference Player of the Year two years in a row. Nash graduated from Santa Clara with a degree in sociology and was the university’s first student-athlete to have his jersey retired.
Nash Joins the NBA
In the first round of the 1996 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, Nash was chosen 15th overall by the Phoenix Suns. Despite his accomplishments as a college player, many were not impressed with the Suns’ choice and Nash averaged only 10.5 minutes in his rookie year playing second fiddle to star point guards Kevin Johnson, Sam Cassell and Jason Kidd. His second season saw more playing time and a ranking of 13th in the league for three-point field-goal percentage.
In 1998, Nash was traded to the Dallas Mavericks where he became one of the NBA’s best point guards. He gained fame as one of the Mavericks’ “Big Three” along with Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley, and became an NBA All-Star for the first time.
Following the 2004-05 season, Nash became a free agent and received a better offer from the Phoenix Suns than Dallas was willing to provide, so he returned to Phoenix where he plays to this day. Nash’s stellar shooting percentage, generosity and support of his teammates helped the Suns become a playoff team. For two years in a row, Nash was named the league’s MVP. During his time with the Suns, he has recorded career highs in points, rebounds, field goal percentage and free-throw percentage, while achieving league-leading assists per game numbers. Nash has been an NBA All-Star six times in his career.
Nash and Team Canada
Nash experienced a crushing loss as captain of Team Canada in the 2000 Sydney Olympics quarterfinals. Though Team Canada placed 7th that year, his appearance on the team led Nash to stardom in Canada and resulted in being voted 5th for the 2000 Lionel Conacher Award for the Canadian male athlete of the year.
During the qualifying tournament for the 2004 Summer Olympics, Nash was named tournament MVP, but Canada finished fourth, which meant they missed out on an Olympic spot.
Personal Life and Charity Work
Nash has two younger siblings, Martin and Joann, who are both active in the soccer world. He has been married to Alejandra Amarilla since 2005 and the couple has twin daughters, Lola and Bella.
A medical condition called spondylolisthesis has made Nash’s athletic career even more challenging. The muscle tightness and back pain caused by the condition is the reason that he lies on his back on the sidelines when not on the court.
The Steve Nash Foundation was formed in 2001 to help children affected by poverty, illness, abuse or neglect. The foundation seeks to create opportunity for education, play and empowerment focusing on communities in Phoenix, Arizona, and British Columbia, Canada. Nash also sponsors the Steve Nash Youth Basketball League in British Columbia, which has over 10,000 participants.
For these initiatives, his many other charitable works and his impressive basketball career, Nash was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2006.
