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Nash, Steven J. "Steve"

Stephen J. ''Steve'' Nash '96
  • Sport: Men’s Basketball
  • Years Attended:1992-1996
  • 3 NCAA Tournament Appearances
  • 3x WCC Champions
  • 2x WCC Player of the Year (1994-95, 1995-96)
  • AP Honorable Mention (1995-96)
  • 2x WCC All-WCC First Team, 1x Honorable Mention
  • 2x NABC All-District (1994, 1995)
  • Santa Clara’s Top 10: All-Time Scoring (1689), Steals (147), Assists (510), Free Throw % (.860)
  • No. 11 retired by Santa Clara
  • Drafted 1st round to Phoenix Suns
  • 2× NBA Most Valuable Player (2005, 2006)
  • 8× NBA All-Star (2002, 2003, 2005–2008, 2010, 2012)
  • 5× NBA assists leader (2005–2007, 2010, 2011)
  • 4× 50–40–90 club (2006, 2008–2010)
  • 3× All-NBA First Team (2005–2007)
  • 2× All-NBA Second Team (2008, 2010)
  • 2× All-NBA Third Team (2002, 2003)
  • No. 13 retired by Phoenix Suns
  • 2× NBA champion (2017, 2018) As consultant
  • Inducted in 2017

As a freshman in 1992 Steve Nash made an immediate impact on the court. He helped the Broncos earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament and led them to a first round upset of the fifth ranked Arizona Wildcats. Nash was awarded All-WCC honors three times and back-to-back WCC Player of the Year awards (1994-95 and 1995-96). His teams won a WCC Tournament and captured two WCC regular season titles. With Nash at guard the Broncos advanced to the NCAA Tournament three out of his fours seasons.

After graduation in 1996, Nash was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the 1st round. He spent two years there, and then was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. By his fourth season with the Mavericks, Nash had earned his first All-NBA selection and was invited to the NBA All-Star game. In 2002, Nash led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals. For the 2004-2005 season he returned to the Phoenix Suns. Nash took the Suns to the Western Conference Finals and was voted back-to-back league MVP.  In 2012, Nash began a three year career with the Los Angeles Lakers before retirement.

Even as a retired player Nash never quit basketball. In 2015, he began working with the Golden State Warriors as a part-time consultant. During his first season as a consultant, the Warriors had a record-breaking 73–9 season. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers the next two seasons to clench the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals Championships. It was announced in 2018, during the NCAA March Madness tournament, that Nash would be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Steve Nash was named the 9th greatest point guard of all time by ESPN in 2006. During various points in his career, Nash led the league in assists and free-throw percentage. He is also ranked as one of the top players in NBA league history in three-point shooting, free-throw shooting, total assists, and assists per game. His No.11 jersey was retired by Santa Clara University.

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