Steve’s athletic family settled in British Columbia shortly after his birth. Steve developed a talent for soccer but also loved lacrosse, rugby and hockey. In eighth grade, he discovered basketball, and as a student at St. Michael’s University School, he began to work on his game non-stop.
Nash had difficulty breaking into the world of American university basketball, a prerequisite for an NBA career. He didn’t give up, and after more than 30 letters to American schools, Nash finally received an offer from Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university south of San Francisco. In his four seasons with the Santa Clara Broncos, the team made three NCAA appearances, and he was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year twice. In 1993, Nash played for the national team, winning a bronze medal at the Canada Games and a silver medal at the World University Games.
In 1996, Nash was drafted 15th overall to the Phoenix Suns. He was soon traded to the Dallas Mavericks and made his first NBA All-Star appearance in his third season. In Dallas, Nash quickly made a name for himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Nash captained his team to wins over Spain and Yugoslavia, before suffering an emotional loss to France in the quarterfinals.
After the 2003-04 season, Nash became a free agent and returned to the Phoenix Suns, where he is credited with helping to turn around a team with a losing record. At the end of the 2007-08 season, he had an 89.7 percent shooting average (third best in NBA history), and a 43.1 percent career shooting average (fifth best in league history). A two-time Most Valuable Player winner, Nash is only the second point guard to win the MVP award multiple times and the third guard in NBA history to earn back-to-back MVPs.
On March 21, 2015, Nash announced his retirement from the NBA.
