The Phoenix Suns selected Steve Nash with the 15th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, a decision that proved to be wise. The Canadian point guard enjoyed an illustrious career, earning two MVP awards and solidifying his place in basketball history. Years after his retirement, he weighed in on the ongoing GOAT debate, making his opinion clear.
“MJ is my guy for sure, always,” Nash said about Michael Jordan in an interview with All The Smoke in 2020. “For me, he’s the greatest player to ever play the game. He was my hero as a kid. I got a chance to play against him. He just had this charisma on top of all the gifts and skills, and mentally, you know how great he is.”
Steve elaborated on the unique qualities that made the Chicago Bulls legend stand out. “He was unlike any other player I’ve ever played against. There was real fear playing against him,” Nash explained. “I’ve never seen the league be kind of fearful of a player or have that much reverence for a player. No matter who’s come since then.”
Reflecting on the intensity of playing against Jordan, the Suns legend added: “That was a different feeling playing Mike because you knew there was such seriousness and competitiveness and fire in him, and there was a fear of how that was going to manifest itself, potentially on any given night.” He continued: “I mean, where do you want to start and where do you want to finish with him? He was everything.“
Nash remembers his early battles with Jordan
Having entered the NBA in 1996, Steve Nash was a contemporary of Michael Jordan’s golden era with Chicago. “First month of my rookie season we played the Bulls twice, home and away,” he recalled in a chat with Ernie Johnson on NBA Together in 2020. “I’m on the bus after the game and Chucky Brown gets on the bus with Jordan’s shoes, and I’m like, ‘Are those MJ’s shoes? How did you get those?’ And he’s like, ‘I asked him for them,’ and I was thinking to myself, ‘Can we do that?’”
Nash continued his story, saying: “Two weeks later, they come to Phoenix and we play. I got switched onto him, he backed me down into the post. He did his little shake and hit a fadeaway on me.” The former point guard then added: “He comes over to me and he says, ‘You were at a slight disadvantage.‘ As a rookie, I was like, ‘MJ just scored on me and is letting me have it in a fun way. This is unbelievable.’”
Finally, Nash shared a memorable moment from that game. “I turn and I laugh and I go, ‘Can I have your shoes after the game?’ Of course, sure enough, after the game, I got his shoes and all of that,” he explained. “As a guy who I hope proved was a fierce competitor my whole career, it takes you back to what kind of mindset I was in as a rookie with Michael Jordan and how that was all secondary to this hero I’m worshipping away. But at the same time, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Michael Jordan also praised Steve Nash
While Steve Nash was launching his NBA career and idolizing the Chicago Bulls superstar, Jordan himself had taken notice of Nash’s rising talent. “When I look at the future of the Phoenix Suns, I look at Michael Finley and Steve…What’s the name of the little kid?” MJ said in a 1998 interview with SLAM Magazine, revealing that Nash had caught his attention, even if he couldn’t quite remember his name.
Nash on LeBron and Kobe in the GOAT debate
In his interview with All The Smoke, Nash not only said that Michael Jordan was his GOAT, but he also acknowledged two other players who could be part of that conversation as well. “I think you probably heard me saying: Jordan, LeBron, Kobe on the total picture,” Steve explained. “But, I mean, how do you go wrong? At their best, all three of them played the game at a level higher than anyone else.”
Regarding James, Nash commented: “I totally understand why people put LeBron where he is: either first or second on many people’s eyes. When you look at the whole picture of everything LeBron has done over the course of his career, it’s hard to argue with.” He also praised Bryant, saying: “I think at his best Kobe was right there with any of them. When he was flying and playing at his best, he was as good as we’ve ever seen.”
Steve Nash’s legacy in NBA
Steve Nash’s legacy in the NBA is undeniable. He spent nearly 20 years as one of the league’s top stars, beginning his career with the Phoenix Suns in 1996. After a surprising trade to the Dallas Mavericks, Nash returned to the Suns in 2004 and solidified his place as one of the most accomplished point guards in history.
In 2005 and 2006, Steve was named NBA MVP in recognition of his exceptional performances with the Suns. The team later retired his No. 13 jersey following his retirement. Nash’s final years in the NBA were spent with the Los Angeles Lakers, from 2012 to 2015. The point guard was an 8-time All-Star, 5-time NBA assists leader, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and included in the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.