2018 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame finalist Steve Nash left behind a legacy that few can match.
He was a two-time NBA MVP. An eight-time NBA all-star. A Lou Marsh Award winner and a two-time Tournament of the Americas (currently the FIBA Americas) MVP while suiting up for Canada.
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Here’s a look at some numbers from a legendary career that help encapsulate Nash’s Hall of Fame credentials:
The Passing
Nash was an elite shooter throughout his career, but his passing ability quickly became his calling card in the NBA.
He retired in 2015 with 10,335 assists, which puts him third all-time behind John Stockton and Jason Kidd. Nash averaged 8.5 assists— seventh most all-time— over an 18-year career.
He averaged 9.4 assists during 10 seasons in Phoenix (the team that drafted him 15th overall in 1996), 7.2 assists in six seasons in Dallas, and 6.4 assists during his final two injury-plagued seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
His passing numbers were bolstered by his role conducting the “Seven Seconds Or Less” Phoenix Suns offence under head coach Mike D’Antoni. Nash led the league in assists for five of his eight seasons in Phoenix, including a career-best 11.6 per game in 2006-07.
During his time on the Suns, from 2004-2011, Nash registered a total of 5,933 assists— an NBA best — and 1,093 more than second-place Kidd, a former teammate in Phoenix during Nash’s first two seasons in the NBA.
Of course when it came to Nash, his passing flair was even more impressive than the numbers:
The MVP Seasons
In 2005, Nash became the first Canadian to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. He followed up the feat again the next season.
Nash is one of 13 players to have won multiple MVP awards, joining Tim Duncan, Steph Curry, Karl Malone and Bob Pettit as fellow two-time winners.
Even more impressive is the list of back-to-back MVP winners Nash belongs to: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Duncan, Curry and LeBron James. Not too shabby.
During his ’05 MVP campaign, Nash led the league in assists with 11.5 per game and 861 total— 193 more than second-place Stephon Marbury.
As the orchestrator of Phoenix’s high-octane offence, Nash’s Suns finished with a 62-20 record and the top seed in the West while playing a style and tempo unmatched by their opponents. The ’04-05 Suns scored 110.4 points per game, which was 6.7 points more than any other team. For context, the Golden State Warriors held a 3.3 point per game scoring margin over the next best team during their 2015 championship season.
Nash averaged 15.5 points and 11.5 assists, while shooting 50.2 per cent (43.2 per cent on three-pointers). It was the lowest scoring average of any MVP since 1969.
In the process, he became one of just five players in league history to average more than 15 points and 11 assists while shooting over 50 per cent from the floor. Nash and John Stockton are the only two players to post those numbers while also shooting over 40 per cent from beyond the arc.
The following season Nash posted historic numbers, raising his scoring average to 18.8 points per game while again leading the league in assists with 10.5 per game, as well as free-throw shooting (92.1 per cent). He remains the only player to ever average at least 18 points and 10 assists while shooting over 40 per cent from deep and 90 per cent from the free throw line.
During his second MVP season he dropped 10 or more dimes in 45 games and in a game versus the New York Knicks set a career-high with 22 assists.
The Shooting
While he never hit more than 2.2 threes per game in any season, Nash was one of the most accurate three-point shooters in league history. He came into the league shooting 41.8 per cent from deep in his rookie year and retired a 42.8 per cent shooter from beyond the arc.
He is 10th all-time in three-point shooting percentage and 18th all-time in total threes made.
Nash was automatic from the free-throw line, a career 90.4 per cent free-throw shooter, the highest career mark of all-time.
Nash is a member of the exclusive “50–40–90 Club,” a gold standard for shooters that had only been accomplished by three other players before him. To qualify a player must finish a season having shot over 50 per cent from the field, 40 per cent from deep, and 90 per cent from the line.
Nash is one of two players to record multiple 50-40-90 seasons. Hall of Famer Larry Bird did it twice. By the time he retired, Nash had made the 50–40–90 Club a record four times.
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