Steve Nash

steve nash holding a m.v.p trophy (http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Steve-Nash-2004---2005-NBA-Most-Valuable-Player-Composite-Photograph-C12041438.jpeg)

On February 7, 1974 Steve Nash, one of the players in the N.B.A today, was born. Although he is a Canadian citizen, Nash was not born in Canada. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and his family immigrated to Canada. At the age of two he moved to Victoria, British Columbia. Nash comes from an athletic family. Hs father, brother and sister played professional soccer. Steve played soccer as well but he loved basketball more! Today he is number 13 and plays for Phoenix.

(http://www.dominionpaper.ca/img/opinion/.jpg)

Nash played high school basketball for Mount Douglas and St. Michael's University. In his senior season, he averaged nearly a triple-double per game and more than 21 points. The head coach of Santa Clara University, Dick Davey, watched Nash dominate a game. He gave him a scholarship that day for the 1992-1993 season. Things just got better and better. The Phoenix Suns selected Nash in the first round of the 1996 NBA draft. At this time the Suns fans booed Nash because he was an unknown player. In 1998, Nash was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and again another city didn't want him there. During the 2000-2001 season, he averaged over 15 points per game. In 2002-2003 he was asked to join the NBA All-Star Team. In 2003-2004 his points went down. This was also the year that the contract in Dallas was over. After a long contract fight he went back to Phoenix for more money. In the 2005-2006 season, he earned his second MVP award.

(http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily.jpg)

In 2005, Nash beat Shaquille O'Neal from Miami to win the NBA MVP award. Nash was the first Canadian to win. Nash is only the second point guard ever to be named MVP. The other was Magic Johnson. Nash led his team to be one of the most elite teams in the NBA. He was voted as a first-time starter for the 2006 Western All-Star Team. On May 7, 2006 Nash got his second straight MVP award. Then on May 11, 2006, ESPN.com rated Nash as the 9th greatest point guard of all time.

Steve Nash also does a lot of charity. He set up the Steve Nash Foundation to help poor kids make their lives better with food and sport clinics. Nash also makes time to go to hospitals to talk to sick children. He loves to travel, he said that it makes him feel calm and he loves people. Nash has a wife and twin girls. Nash also suffers from a medical condition called spondytolishesis. It means that it causes muscle tightness and back pain. When it bothers him on the court you won't see him sitting on the bench. Nash goes to the end of the court and lies on the floor to keep his back from stiffening.

Steve Nash is a super star! He is 6 feet 3 inches and 33 years old. He is a natural born athlete. As a child he was also excellent at hockey and lacrosse. Soccer contines to be very important for him. When Dirk Nowitzki arrived in the NBA from Germany, he became Nash's best friend. They go to as many soccer games together as possible!