Steve Nash is an all time great NBA player and took over the city when he returned in 2005, but does he deserve a statue in The Valley?
Many NBA players have been honored with a statue outside of their home arena such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, and most recently Allen Iverson. Could Steve Nash be the next name to join that list?
Steve Nash is one of the greatest point guards in the history of the NBA and is the greatest Phoenix Suns player of all time. The two time MVP already has his lucky number 13 hung in the rafters of the footprint center part of the Phoenix Suns Ring Of Honor, but maybe under this new ownership that is full of surprises we could see a Steve Nash statue in Phoenix here in the future.
While Nash was never able to bring a championship to Phoenix his accomplishments and impact in The Valley solidify his case for a statue.
Before Nash returned to Phoenix in 2004 after being traded away in 1998, the Suns were struggling and were lost towards the bottom of the western conference, however one key free agent was going to turn the franchise around.
After winning 29 games in the 2003-2004 season the Nash led Suns won a at the time franchise best tying 62 wins, the sharpshooting playmaker running the show for head coach Mike D’Antoni took over the NBA.
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Under a revolutionary seven seconds or less offense Nash and his teammates were able to change the NBA, running constantly while launching a high volume of threes combined with the inside dominance from Amar’e Stoudemire the Suns seemed impossible to stop.
What made Nash so special was his passing, he averaged 10.9 assists during his second stint in Phoenix which included a league leading 11.6 assists per game in 2007. Nash would go on to lead the NBA in assists 5 times during his time with the Suns, and lead the Suns to historic offensive stats season after season.
Steve’s passing elevated shooters like Quentin Eichardson, Raja Bell, and Jared Dudley, all while perfectly complimenting crafty scorers like Amar’e Stoudemire and Joe Johnson, and making sure to involve any other role guys in the process.
Nash had a total of 105 games with 15 more assists during his second go in phoenix, that includes a multiple 20 assist and a 23 assist playoff game. Nash’s passing elevated the Suns offense to historic levels and brought a buzz to the city that had not been seen since the Barkley days nearly a decade earlier. On top of being of the greatest passers ever Nash’s ability to shoot from anywhere on the court helped take the Suns as far as he could take them.
Many regard Nash as one of the greatest shooters of all time and he is statistically one of the most accurate shooters ever. Nash has a career 42.7% from 3 which is 11th all time, on top of that he shot 90.43% from the free throw line which is good for 2nd all time, trailing Steph Curry by .55%.
Nash never shot below 39% from deep in Phoenix, his low was 39% and high was a ridiculous 47% in 2008. All over knockdown shooting led Nash to being a 4 time member of the 50/40/90 club which is the most seasons in that club in NBA history.
All together Nash was awarded for his historic play in Phoenix with back to back MVP awards, 6 All-Star selections, 5 All-NBA team honors, he was named a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary team, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame in 2018.
When you think of the Phoenix Suns you think of Steve Nash, when you name the best point guards Nash is there, he is up there in passing and shooting, as well as IQ and overall impact, Nash was a truly dynamic player and should be awarded with a statue in downtown Phoenix celebrating his contributions to the city.