Steve Nash is a future Hall-of-Famer, but that doesn’t mean the two-time MVP played the game without flaws. And former teammate and close friend Dirk Nowitzki has a far more simplistic take on reasons for Nash’s shortcomings than most of us.
Namely, the Canadian legend’s race and lack of athleticism.
Dirk on Nash: He overcame a lot in his career, being injured, and being slow, and white and unathletic
— Chillin in my Bacta (@DarthAmin) March 23, 2015
Before anyone overreacts to Dirk’s quip, it bares mentioning that he and Nash hold one another in the highest esteem – look no further than the latter’s glowing mention of his Dallas Mavericks teammate in his retirement letter as evidence of that reality. Nowitzki was joking.
But he also has a point.
Race nonsense aside, Nash really did overcome suboptimal explosion and a spate of injuries en route to his brilliant career. He wasn’t blessed with the speed, quickness, or leaping ability of other premier players at his position, instead relying on unparalleled skill, intelligence, and leadership to become one of the best point guards in league history. And it’s easy to forget because Nash played at least 74 games save for the last of his eight seasons with the Suns, but nagging back pain plagued him throughout his prime, too.
Slow? Relatively. Injured? Certainly. White? Obviously.
Is Nash retiring a legend nonetheless? Clearly – exactly like Nowitzki will in several seasons’ time.
