Stephen John Nash (born February 7, 1974), is a
Canadian professional basketball player who plays
point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National
Basketball Association (NBA). Brought up in a family
of sportsmen, he enjoyed an outstanding high school
basketball career, but garnered no attention from
United States college recruiters. He was eventually
recruited by Santa Clara University, and in Nash's
four seasons with the Broncos, the team made three
NCAA Tournament appearances. Nash was twice named
the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, and he
left Santa Clara as the all-time leader in assists.
Nash entered the 1996 NBA Draft and was selected as
the 15th pick by the Phoenix Suns. He made a minimal
impact, and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in
1998. By his third season with the Mavericks, he was
voted into his first NBA All-Star Game had earned
his first All-NBA selection. Together with Dirk
Nowitzki and Michael Finley, Nash led the Mavericks
to the Western Conference Finals the following
season. However, he became a free agent after the
2003–04 season and returned to the Phoenix Suns.
Nash was instrumental in transforming the Suns into
one of the top teams of the Western Conference. He
led the Suns to the Western Conference Finals in the
2004–05 season, and was named the league's Most
Valuable Player. He was named MVP again in the
2005–06 season, and missed out on a third
consecutive MVP title to Nowitzki the next season.
Named by ESPN in 2006 as the ninth greatest point
guard of all time, Nash has led the league in
assists and free throw percentage at various points
in his career, although he has occasionally been
criticised for his poor defence. He is ranked as one
of the top players in league history for three point
shooting, free throw shooting, total assists and
assists per game.
Nash, who is married, is also heavily involved in
charity and humanitarian work. In 2006, Time
magazine named Nash as one of the 100 most
influential people in the world. On 28 December 2007
it was announced that Nash will receive Canada's
highest civilian honour, the Order Of Canada.
