Fans know full well one of the best players in Suns history is also pretty decent at another sport. Last month, Steve Nash hosted his ninth annual Steve Nash Foundation Showdown, a soccer game played by NBA and soccer celebrities.
NBA UK's official Twitter account recently released a bonus video from the week's events, featuring a sit-down interview between Nash and Chelsea FC star Asmir Begovic. The two have several things in common, including their dual-sport affection and a mutual affection for Phoenix's original sports team.
Begovic, who became a Suns fan during Nash's two-time MVP heyday, asked his childhood idol whether basketball was always in the 6-3 guard's plans.
"I grew up playing soccer and hockey and baseball, lacrosse, every sport but basketball," Nash admitted. "That was right when Michael Jordan came onto the scene and it was kind of irresistable to follow him and the game. Basketball was really the last sport I took seriously, and it stuck."
“Basketball was really the last sport I took seriously, and it stuck.”
— Steve Nash
Countless people and organizations are glad that it did. Nash wound up having a standout four-year career at Santa Clara before declaring for the NBA Draft, in which was selected 15th overall by the Suns.
The Canadian rookie's new team wound up being the perfect training ground for a point guard with potential. Nash played behind Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson, who between them earned a combined 13 All-Star appearances, 10 All-NBA honors and three gold medals for USA Basketball.
Nash told Begovic that playing behind such storied talent taught him the importance of confidence.
"I realized you're looking at a person who's at the top of the food chain in their career," Nash said. "I thought, 'Fake it 'till you make it.' You have to believe and behave and be that way."
The 18-year veteran did so as few have, earning eight All-Star appearances (six in Phoenix) and two Most Valuable Player awards. Such lofty achievements, he says, were not a plan, but a product of his approach to the game.
"It was just a progression," Nash explained. "The next thing you know, I get drafted. Then I'm a backup. Then I was like, 'I think I can be a starter.' Then I thought I could be an All-Star."