Steve Nash
Teams
Phoenix Suns - 1996-98, 2004-12
Dallas Mavericks - 1998-04
Los Angeles Lakers - 2012-14
Playoffs
Appearances - 12 (1997,1998,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2010,2013)
Conference Finals - 4 (2003,2005,2006,2010)
NBA Finals - 0
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
MVP - 2 (2005,2006,2007)
All-NBA First Team - 3 (2005,2006,2007,2008,2010,2011)
All-NBA Second Team - 2 (2002,2003,2004,2008,2009,2010,2012)
All-NBA Third Team - 2 (2002,2003)
Hall of Fame - 2018
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Free Throw Percentage - #2
Total Assists - #3
Assists Per Game - #10
Three-Point Percentage - #11
Three-Pointers Made - #26
Total Points - #92
League Leads
Free Throw Percentage (#1-2006,2010, #2-2004, #3-2003,2009,2011, #4-2001,2012, #5-2002,2007,2008)
Total Assists (#1-2005,2006,2007,2010,2011,2012, #2-2004,2008, #3-2009)
Assists Per Game (#1-2005,2006,2007,2010,2011, #2-2008,2012, #3-2004,2009)
Three-Point Percentage (#2-2007,2008, #5-2002,2013)
After averaging 17.0 points and 6.0 assists as a senior at Santa Clara, Steve Nash was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 15th overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Nash didn't play much as a rookie, since he was playing behind Kevin Johnson and Jason Kidd, and he only averaged 3.3 points that year. His playing time increased in his second year, and he raised his scoring to 9.1 per game, but the chance of him becoming a starter in Phoenix were slim. After the season, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where he was given the opportunity to start.
Nash got a lot more playing time upon arriving in Dallas, but still didn't show much improvement over the next couple of seasons, failing to reach double digits in scoring in either season. He finally took his first big step forward in 2000-01, when he averaged 15.6 points and 7.3 assists per game and helped Dallas and Dirk Nowitzki make the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
He raised his scoring average up over 17 points per game in each of the next 2 seasons, and in 2003 he and Nowitzki led Dallas all the way to the Conference Finals for only the second time in team history, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in 6 games. The next year, the team added a couple new scorers, so Nash's scoring dropped to 14.5 per game, but he did increase his assist average to 8.8. After the season he wanted to resign with Dallas, but Phoenix offered a longer contract and more money, so he returned to the Suns.
His first season back in Phoenix was the best of his career. He averaged 15.5 points and led the league with 11.5 assists per game, and led the Suns to the best record in the league, a 33-game improvement over the previous season, which led to Nash being named the league MVP for the season, only the third point guard to win the award, after Magic Johnson and Bob Cousy. He led the Suns past Memphis and Dallas in the playoffs, but they lost to the Spurs in the Conference Finals.
Amar'e Stoudemire was injured before the next season, which forced Nash to take on a bigger role, and he responded by leading the league in assists again with 10.5 per game while setting career highs in scoring (18.8) and rebounds (4.1). He also became the 4th member of the 50-40-90 Club, averaging .512 from the field, .439 from three, and a league-leading .921 from the free throw line. All of this earned him another MVP award, and he led the depleted Suns back to the Conference Finals, where they fell to the Mavericks this time.
He was great again the next year, averaging 18.6 points and 11.6 assists, leading the league for the third straight year, and he came up just one free throw short of making the 50-40-90 club again. He had a better statistical season but finished as the runner-up to Dirk Nowitzki in the MVP voting, thanks to Dallas having the league's best record. In the playoffs, San Antonio again knocked off the Suns, this time in a very controversial second-round series.
Nash finished with averages of 50-40-90 for the second time in 2007-08, becoming only the second player to achieve it twice, after Larry Bird, but Phoenix ran into the Spurs again in the playoffs, falling to their nemesis in the first round, the third time in 4 years they had knocked Phoenix out.
The Suns got a new coach in 2008-09, and the result was Nash's worst year since returning to Phoenix, with only 15.7 points and 9.7 assists per game, and no playoff appearance for Nash for the first time since 2000, though he did reach the 50-40-90 threshold again, becoming the first to ever do it 3 times.
With Alvin Gentry taking over at coach late in the previous season, Phoenix got back on track in 2009-2010, with Nash again leading the league in assists with 11.0 per game and free throw percentage with a career high .938. He also led Phoenix back to the Conference Finals, the 4th time in his career he got that far, but they lost to the Lakers in 6 games, ending their run.
Nash led the league in assists for the 5th and final time in 2011, but after nearly the entire roster had been changed from the previous season, the Suns missed the playoffs. He set a career high in field goal percentage the next year, with .532, but Nash's scoring had dropped to 12.5 per game and the team missed the playoffs again.
Nash was traded to the Lakers before the next season, but struggled through an injury-plagued season, missing 32 games due to hip, hamstring, and led injuries. The leg issues continued the next year, and he only appeared in 15 games before being shut down for the season. He announced that he would play one final season, but he injured his back in the preseason and did not end up playing a single game. He announced his retirement shortly before the end of the season.
When he retired, Nash was the best free throw shooter in history, and now sits behind only Stephen Curry on the all-time list. He's also #11 in three-point percentage, making a case for him to be one of the greatest shooters of all time. He is also #3 on the all-time assist list, trailing only Stockton and Kidd, and he won 5 assist titles during his career. He was a 2-time MVP and is by far the greatest player to never reach the NBA Finals, and one of the greatest players of all time.
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