Steve Nash Biography
Born
in South Africa on February 7, 1974, Stephen John
Nash and his family moved to Canada when he was
still a young boy. Nash's father was a minor league
pro soccer player while and his mother was played
for the English National Netball team while they
lived in South Africa, and both his sister and
his brother play soccer. Although Nash played
soccer throughout school, he decided to focus
on basketball during his high school years. During
his college years, he headed for the NBA draft,
where he met Dirk Nowitzki, and the two became
friends.
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During
the NBA draft, he was selected 15th by the Phoenix
Suns in the first round during 1996. He was the
first Canadian to be selected that high up in
the draft. Although the fans in Phoenix didn't
care for him much during his first season, he
continued to wow the coach and the basketball
scoreboards around the nation. But, in 1998, Nash
was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where his
long time friend Dirk Nowitzki was playing. Nash
was not received well in Dallas either, after
a lower back injury kept him from playing in the
first 10 games of the season. And, in the 1999-2000
season, he suffered an ankle injury that kept
him from playing 25 games. But, to prove all the
negative comments wrong, he came back with some
career making moves that led him to improve his
overall game, and gain some respect in the fan's
eyes.
During
the 2000-2001 season, his average points were
over 15 per game and rising. Along with other
star players on the team, this new “dream
team” was swiftly scoring points and winning
games all over the board. In 2001-2002, he continued
to improve his average points per game and was
offered a spot on the NBA All-Star Game on the
third team. Again, in 2002-2003, he still continued
to improve his scoring and was once more asked
to join the NBA All-Star team on the third team.
But,
the 2003-2004 season saw a decline in his average
points per game, and he was not chosen for the
NBA All-Star game this year. When his contract
with Dallas expired, he tried to negotiate with
the new owner. Even though Dallas didn't want
to lose Nash, he did to the Phoenix Suns, where
Nash was offered more money and a better deal
all around. So, in 2004-2005, Nash appeared on
the basketball court, playing for the Suns once
more.
With
Nash once again playing for the Suns, and several
other newcomers, the team began to win and play
better overall once more. They would consistently
overrun other teams and became the highest-scoring
team in the league in over a decade. But, once
again, as his career was on the rise in Phoneix,
Nash suffered yet another injury. Without Nash's
leadership, the Suns lost their next three games.
But, Nash still managed to gain the coveted MVP
award for the 2004-2005 season.
In
the 2005-2006 season, Nash was still playing for
the Suns, leading the team once more to victories
all over the board. With his amazing season, it
was a sure thing that he gained the MVP award
once again, for the second year in a row. He also
finally made the NBA All-Star's first team for
the very first time.
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