One night dedicated entirely to Steve Nash made the former two-time MVP squirm a little bit. He did, after all, make a living out of setting up others, not himself.
“I downplay everything,” he admitted. “I deflect. I have a hard time really accepting, in some ways, my successes.”
Nash couldn’t have deflected attention even had he wanted to on Friday night. Not with over 18,000 fan placards reading “Nash” and “13” on one side and an image of him hoisting an MVP trophy on the other. Not with video after video of former teammates, peers and friends congratulating him. Not with his likeness and name being unveiled alongside other Hall-of-Famers and Suns legends.
For one night, he allowed himself to receive the attention he had so thoroughly earned.
“I want to try my best to take it all in and not avoid or deflect or deny myself that opportunity as I’ve done for years,” Nash said. “Strategically, to keep going forward, I always tried to dismiss everything. I don’t have to play tonight. I don’t have to play tomorrow.”
Nash Ring of Honor Ceremony
Instead, Nash and his supporters reflected on his epic yesterdays. The crowd ooh-ed over footage of a behind-the-back pass to Amar’e Stoudemire for a rim-rattling dunk. They cheered with defiance befitting the images of swollen eyes and bashed noses suffered in playoff battles. They chanted “MVP” to the only Suns player to win the award more than once.
Iconic voices from Suns lore added their testimonies to Nash’s legacy. Former owner Jerry Colangelo said Phoenix drafted him despite already having Kevin Johnson (and trading for Jason Kidd just months later) in the backcourt because Nash “was the best player on the [draft] board, without question.” After reminiscing about the beginning of the star’s career, he offered a preview to how his NBA path will end.
“You know I’m the chairman of the Hall of Fame,” Colangelo declared. “So I want to say this to you without reservation. You will be a first-ballot electee.”
Former Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni, whose offense went hand-in-hand with Nash’s talents, could offer only gratitude to Steve’s parents.
“I don’t know how they met,” he laughed, “but boy am I glad you guys got together.”
Yet just as he did during his Hall-of-Fame-worthy peak, Nash somehow managed to avoid himself long enough to acknowledge nearly everyone else. He referenced the talents of former All-Star teammates Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudemire, whose video tributes drew thunderous cheers from the fans who remembered their feats alongside the now-honored point guard. He gestured to his new teammates, fellow Ring of Honor members, saying, “I still admire and think of every one of them as my idols.”
Then he addressed the fans, who sandwiched every group of his improvised words with showers of applause.
“You lose, and it burns forever, but that’s what makes the game great. Not everyone can win. We weren’t able to win [a championship]. That’s life, but that’s what makes it beautiful. If everyone got the chance to win, what would winning mean?”
— Steve Nash
“You guys are the best,” Nash told them. “You guys were so good to me. You supported me. You loved me. We went through bad times together. We went through great times together.”
Nash’s video tribute showed flashes of all those times. Though the 2007 playoff game in which Nash split his nose open ended in a loss, the crowd cheered just as loudly for that as they did during his game-winning highlights.
Within their love for trials and successes alike, one could see Nash’s opinion of his journey as a whole.
“Losing burns, but you roll the dice and you play for everything,” Nash reflected. “You lose, and it burns forever, but that’s what makes the game great. Not everyone can win. We weren’t able to win [a championship]. That’s life, but that’s what makes it beautiful. If everyone got the chance to win, what would winning mean?”
That truth, perhaps more than anything else, is what he shares with the other 13 members of the Ring of Honor. None of them were able to earn a championship ring, but all of them – from Dick Van Arsdale to Jerry Colangelo and now to Nash – define eras of rolling dice, burning and beauty.
Nash did not cry when his image, name and number were revealed as the newest addition to the legendary Ring. He smiled, willingly accepting the praise along with Colangelo’s eloquently short invitation.
“Steve,” he told Nash, “welcome to the family.”