Steve Nash‘s Hall of Fame induction marks a special moment for not only basketball but sports in Canada as a whole.
When the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies joined the NBA in 1995, it signaled the start of Canada’s quest to uncover another Great One. In 1996, only one year into Canada’s dual-pronged NBA experiment, a nation saw its eventual hardcourt hero get drafted.
It’s often forgotten that basketball was born in Canada. Dr. James Naismith, born in Almonte, Ontario, is credited with the game’s invention, back in 1891. The first hoops were peach baskets, and the first rulebook was 13 lines. Much simpler times.
At a young age, I fell in love with basketball, ultimately sacrificing my flourishing youth hockey career to step on the hardcourt. I remember the difficulties my parents had trying to find a league for me to play in. Perhaps a generalization, but Canadian children who loved sports were meant to idolize Wayne Gretzky.
Hockey, like basketball, began in Canada. It has always been, and continues to be the sport the country prides itself on. But unlike basketball, hockey has long benefited from a plethora of Canadian content; with many of the game’s greatest players having been born north of the 49th parallel. Gretzky, the greatest to ever lace up a pair of skates, grew up in Brantford, Ontario. Taking nothing away from Wayne, but as a great Canadian hockey player, he was one of many…
Such was not the case for Steve Nash.
Nash forced an entire country to fall in love with basketball. And he did it all on his own, his fearlessness and unrelenting drive to succeed were infectious, and frankly impossible to ignore. He showed me (and many others) that small fish could still dominate a pond full of bigger fish.
The Hall Beckons…
The NBA recently announced the 2018 Naismith Hall of Fame class. Amongst the list of inductees was Canada’s own, Steve Nash. The anointment of Nash as a Hall-of-Famer stands as a truly magical moment in the history of Canadian sports.
Whenever discussing the all-time greats, championships will always factor into the conversation. Unfortunately Nash never got his hands on a Larry O’Brien Trophy, causing some to question just how great he was. Despite having never won a title, Steve Nash remains a champion in every sense of the word – his style of play quintessentially changed the game. Nash’s influence is easy to spot, even today. Many offenses, most notably the high pick-and-roll, were once flawlessly orchestrated by the short scrawny Canuck – and no, that is not a derogatory name for a Canadian.
Said Steve Kerr – “I think he made it cool again to pass” – How appropriate that a Canadian be seen as the most polite person on a basketball court?
Even in his final days, Nash’s game had a graceful flair about it…
Apart from convincing an entire country to give another sport besides hockey a chance, he reminded a generation of players that it was ‘ok to share’. Many players – Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, and Quentin Richardson to name a few – owe much of their success to Nash, who always made sure the ball found its way into the right hands, at precisely the right moment.
There has never been a more unselfish player in the game’s history.
Is Steve Nash Canada’s greatest athlete ever?
The mere thought that Canada’s greatest athlete would be anything but a hockey player seems farfetched, to put it mildly. But the fact remains: Hockey has always had a plethora of world-class talent on the ice. Hockey and Canada would still be married had Wayne Gretzky never played.
Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe, Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard, Bobby Hull, and Jean Béliveau are just a few other legends this country has produced – the list is littered with iconic talent. Taking nothing away from Gretzky, but his supporting cast in Canada’s ‘Hockey is Us’ mission has been impressive.
Steve Nash had no such luxury. Sure, the game was invented by a fellow compatriot. But it had so few players playing on basketball’s grandest of stages until Nash’s arrival.
Coming out of high school, Nash was not being recruited. It wasn’t until Dick Davey, the head coach of the men’s basketball program at Santa Clara University, requested video of him. After watching Nash in-person, Davey offered him a scholarship to attend Santa Clara.
Following a four-year college career, Nash would declare for the 1996 NBA Draft, going 15th overall to the Phoenix Suns. That moment would set in motion the greatest basketball career a Canadian has ever authored.
Unlike Gretzky and most other great Canadian athletes, Nash had no paved path to stardom. It was up to him to pave one.
And he did just that…
Anything is Possible
Kevin Garnett, upon winning his first NBA title, famously screamed: “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!” – a sentiment that Steve Nash personified.
Canada’s love for Vince Carter‘s high-flying acrobats, quickly branded him Air Canada. While he undeniably played a critical role in getting kids interested in the game and starting the playground hoops movement here, it was Nash who played the most vital role (and continues to do so even today).
Never the biggest, strongest, or fastest player on the court, Nash relied on his brilliant mind to overcome his athletic shortcomings. Nobody thought the game like he did. Few displayed the level of toughness he became known for – whether it be playing with a broken nose or swollen eye, nothing could keep Steve Nash off the court (apart from a wonky back at the end of his career).
Today, Canada flexes its newfound muscles on the global stage with more regularity. There are more Canadians playing in the NBA than ever before. And with a generational star like RJ Barrett on the NBA horizon, Canada is in the midst of a golden age for basketball. Such an age does not come by fluke. It is a culmination of hard work
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And nobody has worked harder to get us here, than Steve Nash. On behalf of Canada, I say ‘Thank You Captain Canada’.