Once an underdog, Nash enters Hall of Fame as innovator
By Kyle Hightower BOSTON » There were few times in Steve Nash’s basketball career when he wasn’t an underdog.
Before there were players like Stephen Curry and James Harden captivating NBA audiences with a free-wheeling, open-court style, Nash, a 6-foot-3 Canadian, was laying the groundwork for what would become the league’s “point guard era.”
From starring at St. Michaels High School in Victoria, British Columbia, to playing college ball at tiny Santa Clara, Nash was never supposed to an innovator in a game long dominated by much taller players.
But after spending nearly two decades in the NBA, becoming a two-time MVP, eight-time All-Star and one of its most creative passers along the way, it’s undeniable that Nash helped to remake both his position and the way it’s played by an entire generation today.
And when he’s inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, even the player described as “painfully humble” by former teammate Grant Hill won’t be able to deny his impact on the game.
“I recognize that it’s not a common list on someone’s resume,” Nash said.
Nash will be inducted by Don Nelson, the coach he blossomed under while playing in Dallas for six seasons, from 1998 to 2004. But he is equally thankful for the time he spent in the fast-paced offense of Mike D’Antoni in Phoenix, who coached the Suns when Nash won the first of his back-to-back league MVP honors in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
“I’m very grateful,” Nash said. “I played on some great teams with a great coach, and we had a great bond and we meshed very well and played at a very high level. Those were some of the best times of my life.”
Nash will share the stage with Hill, a teammate in Phoenix, as well as former Suns executive Rick Welts, now the president and chief operating officer of the Golden State Warriors.
Welts not only sees a lot of Nash in Curry, he also remembers how quickly Nash’s game went to a different level in Phoenix.