Steve Nash was the NBA's unlikeliest MVP ... then he won another one | The Class of ’96
On this episode of The Class of ’96, Bomani Jones looks at the life and career of Steve Nash. Barely recruited out of Canada, Nash landed a scholarship to Santa Clara University and became the 15th pick in the 1996 NBA draft. He went on to win two MVP trophies with the Phoenix Suns while guiding some of the most efficient offenses in league history.
#NBA
0:00 The story of Steve Nash
0:46 Speeding up the game
1:45 The beginning
3:44 The prime years
5:24 Defining moment: The One-Eye Game
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He's one of those players that was way better than his stats. Too unsrlfish. If he played today he would be unbelievably unstoppable
He SUCKED. NO DEFENSE!!!!
@@oscarlozano1448 NBA already doesn't have defense lol
NASH started the current wave of NO DEFENSE
@@oscarlozano1448 he sucked... that was dumb
@@oscarlozano1448 casual
All the dislikes are Shaq and some burner accounts
Sir this is Tex Johnson. 🤠
That 08-09 season with Shaq.... hated that.
Kobe shouldve won the trophy that year and the following year.
@@marcmercado4631 that’s including you
Shaq still be salty lmao 😂 he can’t get over nash legit made his entire team better. Like #1 seed better
One of my favorite players. I feel like Steve Nash is very under appreciated
I hope Ben Wallace is included in this series as he was an undrafted member of the ‘96 class
You know ESPN, they probably won't
Hah! High hopes. (totally deserves it btw and deserves to be in the hof)
@@beastmry I honestly don't understand why he is still not in the HoF. For me just winning 4 DPOY titles is enough. He was probably more than just that but his defensive dominance on an excellent Pistons team defensive wise was just incredible
Didn’t know that he was this class. Hmm
@@salmanahjum-mathee9055 Ben Wallace was short for his position. Most of his opponents easily had at least 4 inches over him but he was still dominating on defense.
Finally ESPN is releasing content about BASKETBALL. Not what shirt Harden or LeBron wore last night
lol! this is funny man
They did a great job of showcasing his lazy eye
One of the greatest passers of all time😤
No, lebron is
@@JibronLames guess you don’t know what one of means
@@JibronLames lmaooo he'll nah. Jokic is already a better passer, cp3 is a better passer and magic is the best passer all time
@@semkn9555 you're a fool bud.
@@protipskiptoendofvideoandr286 only lebron fanboys think he is the best passer
Peoples always look at Jason Kidd, Magic and Jason Williams for great passing, but Stockton, Nash and CP3 always made the right play, the right pass, loved watching Nash in 05 with the rag-tag team.
Uhhh Stockton is considered one of the best passers in the league.
Jason Williams wasn’t a “great” passer, just a flashy one. There’s a difference.
Andre Miller???
@@DJLeroy3 he was a great passer, at least at times. But yeah, too often, especially in the early days, he was usually looking for something spectacular.
@@blowc1612 yes, but when MOST people think of great passers, those guys mentioned get overlooked sometimes because all of their assists aren't flashy. They were/are great at making the right plays and getting teammates in the right positions.
Why is Peja never get brought up every time the 96 class gets talked about. He actually got a ring, and his style is all over NBA today.
Facts.
Peja was a beast and one of the best shooters ever
@@Stonecoldalston yup, Pejas game is clearly seen in Klays abilities and many others. Peja paved the way to many European shooters. People like Luka looked up to Peja growing up.
@@blowc1612 perfect comparison peja DNA definitely in Klay game especially how he move without the ball
His ring may be overshadowed since he was only a role player on the bench in Dallas. Glad he got a ring with them, he was hitting big shots in the playoffs that year.
Nash & Kobe Had some Great Games
I took a vacation to Phoenix in 2008 and go the tickets for the Suns-Lakers game months in advance. I was so stoked. Then days before the game Shaq was traded to the Suns from the Heat and I was going to be at his debut game. The energy in the arena was awesome and all of the big names had great games.
@@joshualester5154 My first basketball game I watched was the game right before Shaq’s debut against the Warriors. I was bummed he didn’t get to play as the Suns might have won 😂
He is the reason why i love Phoenix suns
Him and Charles Barkley are heroes in Phoenix.
One of my all time faves. I actually used to model my game after him. I remember being a suns fan in the early 2000s with he, Amar’e, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler, Pj tucker etc.
Sure Nash was one of the most skilled point guards of all time, but lets forget that for a moment and praise him as having the best attitude in the NBA of all time. Rarely complained despite being fouled a lot, never flopped, never gave up, never blamed his teammates all the while pushing himself to be good. Humility, skill, and leadership go a long way to make my favorite player of all time Steve Nash.
"Nash couldn't see a thing. But no one who saw it would forget it" 😂😂😂
Huh I didnt see that coming
one of the greatest to ever play the game
this class of 96 thing is amazing
We need a class 03 videos
@@JWil97 dudes still playing plus it ain't even been 20-25 relax already youngster
@@terencejones4057 who exactly in class 03 is still adding a significant amount of resumee to their career other than lebron? All the stars are retired and melo is a role player. And you called me a youngster, yet you managed to forget about class 84 draft. Which gives us MJ, hakeem, barkey, stockton. MJ is a cut above anyone in class 96 and an argument could be made for hakeem vs kobe, though I would still take hakeem. Throw in barkley and stockton which both are comparable to AI and much better than anyone in 96 draft apart maybe a prime ray. So yeah...
@@JWil97 pretty sure there's already a 84 draft documentary.
@Avocaza you mean no casuals would pick hakeem over kobe? Let me guess, you're the type of people that think hitting contested fadeaways from 20 feet is 'skilled' and 'great scoring ability'. Hakeem is much more efficient than kobe, is arguably the best defender or all time on top of being the most skilled center ever. Kobe is one of the most inefficient superstar in the history, just so you know.
The ultimate "making others better" player.
Completely deserving. During that time, he was balling! It wasn’t a complete shock at that time when he won.
Steve Nash was the reason i became a Suns fan.
I became a Suns fan when Steve bought Real Mallorca, my football team XDD
same! He was the reason why I kept playing the suns on every NBA Live game from 2004 until NBA 2k11.
I miss when the MVP was actually given to the most valuable player - not just the best player in the league. Steve Nash is the perfect example of this.
Wdym it hasn’t been given to the best player in the league in years
I don’t really get this argument…. If you’re the best player in the league, doesn’t that make you the most valuable to all teams to have?
@@xxudonoxx no - especially not for the NBA because of super teams. Best example is GSW a few years ago. Take Curry of that team and they are still a great team. MVP should be the player who if they get hurt their team sucks
@@jsebby2284 that would be Lebron every year which I’m not a fan of.
so valuable he never even sniffed the finals
You all forget why he is the MVP, in his first season with the suns they were explosive but clearly the floor is different whenever nash go out to rest. You can see the control on the pace to a normal rhytym when he is out there. There is this one stretch i think nash was injured and wasnt able to play 4 games straight and the suns lost all games which just established that he is really the x factor on the success of that team
Don't forget in 2006 Amare was out all season, Raja tore his calf in the WCF. As a Suns fan and huge Steve fan is eats my soul some of the bad luck they had
Was that the scoring monster Raja Bell?
Also can’t forget the playoff game when he broke his nose against San Antonio was out for just 6 minutes then came back in to play with the broken nose
I remember he had to keep returning to the bench, because it wouldn't stop bleeding. Then there was the time Fisher from the Lakers collided with him and he broke it again. Nash set his nose back in place and kept playing. He was a trooper.
haha Devin Booker following in his footsteps
Bomani is the man. As kids, my brother and I grew up watching his "Morning Jones" show on the Score in Canada. It's awesome to see him taking off.
He was the 1st basketball player I actually admired. He is one of the best.
Growing up in PHX i idolized nash, every kid in the city wanted to model there game after his and thats why he is easily gunna always be my fav player of all time
My favorite player ever! Introduced me to the game as I had a soccer background and I haven’t looked back since. Thank you Steve!
The fact that you call football, soccer says it all.
@@lullabysanton2241 my guy it’s only a word lol I’m European myself so I find it funny you’re mad. What I find funnier is that I guarantee you don’t know the first people to call it that were brits
@@fabivii actually I didnt know that. I'm generalizing here but most people who call football "soccer" don't like the sport much. People whose fav sport is football usually call it football.
@@lullabysanton2241 i know soccer fanatics who call it that. That's just what it's called in North America.
@@dom4591 ok. But that's exception not the rule
Unbelievably tough and talented. Always been and will be my favorite player
Wonderful story telling
I can’t name one modern nba player that would play through that injury. Real respect for him.
Lebron james
@@juan-lz7fq hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
@@juan-lz7fq lebron had to be pulled out on a stretcher for a stomach ache hes def not playing through any injury
@@deeppatel7496 But he is the goat
Klay Thompson?
I hope he gets a championship as a coach since Stern screwed him out of one as a player during the Spurs series
Crazy how stern allowed that spurs team to win. Suns would have destroyed Lebron
@@ssj4goku18825theepic I say that everytime I see Nash. Man deserved a ring
@@runnerup5676 that series would be even more interesting cause I think Lebron could have def win a game more easily and it atleast goes to 6 if he doesn’t miss clutch shots
@@ssj4goku18825theepic I think the suns would win because marion would lock up lebron and nash and amare could get easy baskets because the cavs were bums
Stern definitely cheated them out of rings
1984: Macintosh. Michael Jordan. Celtics over Lakers. Temple of Doom. Terminator. Ghostbusters. Gremlins. Revenge Of The Nerds. The Karate Kid. The NeverEnding Story. Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time." 1984 rocked!
Glenn Danzig also released his band SAMHAIN's Debut album "Initium" 🤘🏻🔥
Dude you are spending way too much time on youtube
@@JS96919 lmfao
@@2FadeMusic he comments on every video and they are like extremely thought out comments he thinks of them before the video
One of my favorite athletes. Apparently he played rugby in HS, and could punt with both feet
Steve Nash is the reason why I always lick my hands.
For us he's incredible.. making plays having a unlimited Iq. Best pg.
Really enjoying these ! Keep it up !
My favorite PG of all time, that 7seconds offense is very fun to watch
Steve Nashty is my GOAT...my favorite player growin up as a kid
Being from Arizona, I loved the Steve Nash era here for the Suns. He gets a lot of hate, but I think its just jealousy.
Do you also like the suns now?
I’m from California but went to NAU 04-08. Steve Nash is the main reason I became interested in basketball. Barbossa, Stoudamire, Bell, Johnson. They had heaps of solid players, not a lot of huge names but they seemed to put up great numbers.
@@monke2457 bad or good, I'm always into the Suns. My home state.
Who hates Nash really, dude is likeable
I was lucky enough to watch him play in his prime in 2004. TV doesn't do him justice. His movement speed footwork and passing were all so unreal. A lot of NBA players play a certain way but Steve's playstyle was so unique.
That suns area was fun to watch. Miss those games and teams around the nba and the run and gun style.
That one eye game was amazing I live nash still on of my favorite players
*3 Point Shooting %* Curry - 43.3% *Steve Nash - 42.8%* Klay Thompson - 41.9%
3 Point Attempts Per Game Curry - 8 Thompson - 7 Nash - 3
You realize Curry and Klay took and made way more threes than Nash? NBA players take more shots and shoot at a higher volume.
CURRY career isnt over yet...at the end CURRY 3 point shooting is going doing drastically...the last years are the worst years... TOP 4 SEASONS: 1- NASH - 47% 2- NASH - 45,5% 3- NASH - 45,5% 4- CURRY - 45,4% Yes Curry shoots more but he also misses more and thats bad for the team specially when its rare to have a game over his average unlike NASH who was consistent..
@@dujondaniel TOP 4 SEASONS: 1- NASH - 47% 2- NASH - 45,5% 3- NASH - 45,5% 4- CURRY - 45,4% Yes Curry shoots more but he also misses more and thats bad for the team specially when its rare to have a game over his average unlike NASH who was consistent..
@@AhseemCarter SO??? players that shoot less tend to finish games 0/3 thats 0%. WHile CURRY keeps shooting till he scores 1 and ends the game with 1/10 thats 10% with 9 shoots missed...
well put together!
Great career and storytelling!
Bomani Jones gave me Ahmad Rashad Vibes in the start of this...
Bring back Inside Stuff?
That one eye game is badass. 💪
Man what a player!
Steve nash was the first point guard that inspired me before cp3 in his dallas days. He deserved those mvps. Remember the sun's record before he landed there
wait I'm a South African and I didn't even know he was South African, I like him even more now
He truly deserved his MVPs. Not only he instantly improved Suns from bottom dweller to top of the league but they're also the most fun team to watch back then. Even crazier was he almost won it 3x in a row, narrowly losing to Dirk. I think mainly due to voters' fatigue.
He shoulda had 3 in a row! Got robbed the next year because NBA fans at the time didn't appreciate his game. Never forget lol
@@josephcarter9761 He arguably shouldn't have one either. In 06, Duncan had better numbers and more wins while leading his team in 2 statistical categories, rebounds and block, while being basically tied for moat points. And thw Spurs weren't as stacked talent wise either. The Suns had a worse record and Nash only lead them in assists. Shawn Marion led them in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks. He literally did everything for that team except call the plays. lol But people act like it was all Nash and Marion was just some role player. Arguably Marion was their mvp that season.
My Favorite Player all time 💞
Great narration
The only reason I'm rooting for the Nets, hopefully Steve will get that ring he never won as a player,
Now that would be sweet!
well no
That's just sad, lol
Steve Nash would basically be a mix of Chris Paul and Steph curry in todays NBA
thats weak>
Fred VanFleet on Steriods
@@andrewm6044 Nah with all due respect, Nash never played any sort of defence. FVV is one of the best guard defenders in the nba. Nash would be more like Trae Young with less turnovers and way more efficient
Play style wise, kinda. But CP and Steph would be the better players still.
Great video bro!
He's one of the all time best players. If not the best I loved watching him play the game
best player coach ever
So even when he was young he looked like a stern dad.
Man im SURPRISED you didn't have the playoff game vs the Lakers ! Man that was an EPIC one! Nash was my 2nd best player under Iverson. I just had a thing for Iverson that was my guy. But Nash was phenomenal player.
sick video LOVE IT
and then Kobe got revenge on the suns in the 2010 WCF's with one of his greatest playoff performances ever
That series still hurts even today
If it was about revenge he should have done it in 2006 or 2007 when nash sent him.home in the first round 2 years straight ...rather than 4 years later. Choked a 3-1 lead to nash instead the same year nash won mvp. Revenge where?
Saved by Artest in Game 5
Ya a Kobe airball sealed the deal in that series
Y'all mad ASF I see he dropped nash off not only that he want on to won another ring for his 5th so go drink on some canada dry sosa or something talking like that 😂😂😂
AI, nash and parker for me are the epitome of what toughness should be. i get the whole free throw while having a torn ACL is for kobe, but man. These guys get bullied physically and somehow find a way to dominate some of their peers.
Scoring double digits with one eye and zero depth perception is infinitely harder than standing still to shoot a free throw with a torn Achilles.
Most Favorite Player to Watch💯
Steve Nash, the reason I fell in love with the game.
thats sad
He definitely earned the 2004-05 MVP over Shaquille O’Neal & Dirk Nowitzki 🏀 make no mistake, this guys PRIME was incredibly scary on the offensive end that you could argue he’s one of the greatest to impact the teams offense with his scoring on S tier efficiency with S tier passing that allowed the team to be at its strongest
Na, you can tell yourself that though.
@@sorryidgaf.6043 Ya, you can agree with it
3:49 now they both coaching and about to win a chip together
My fav player of all times
Being a Suns fan, I had the joy of watching this guy play a ton of games. Just an amazing, gifted player. With the ball in his hands you just knew he was going to make the right decision. A top notch floor general. So smart, so crafty. Every single game he made a play that you just couldn't believe. I got spoiled watching him. Now we have CP3 and he's right up there with Nash in being a top notch floor general. If I had my choice I would still take Nash on my team, however CP3 comes in a close 2nd with Kevin Johnson being a close 3rd.
The Floor General himself. Man I love players like him and Cp3.
He should have won a third MVP as well
And it would have been 3 in a row. I think the league just couldn't see a small guard winning three in a row.
No Nash deservee 05 easily. Pribably wouldve given Dirk 07 considering he didnt have the same supporting cast as Nash as his was privably worse. But dirk cranked out a 67 win season which was magnificent and basically unheard of and had 50-40-90 like Nash, but its definitely close.
Dirk was great that year but he got bounced out of the first round.
But the MVP is a regular season award.Overall year, yeah Nash had a better year. But as far as i’m considered Dirk was the MVP. 67 wins is crazy.
@@gb9719 you sound stupid. His second one is not up for debate. He had a top 5 record and Amare was injured the entire season. His numbers and how well he ran that offense made that MVP warranted
special human being, its hard to think of another more skilled athlete than nash.
NBA needs more content like this
Nash looks like a substitute teacher
Steve Nash is the best pure point guard of all time
Chris Paul has the slight edge on Nash. Elevates a team's floor and ceiling higher than Nash did.
CP3 > Nash but the argument could go either way.
How many mvps does Cp3 have? Also nash has much more assist then cp3... and Nash barely played his first 2 seasons.
John Stockton is and it's not even close
@@AjLeija Chris Paul has 140 less games played and averages more points, assists, rebounds, and steals. He also averages less turnovers. 🥱🥱
Favorite player of all time!!!!
watching the highlight of Nash, my favorite PG of all time, splash that 3 in Luke Walton's face, The coach I can't stand that is the coach of my favorite team right now, is so satisfying lol.
40 of the 87 dislikes is Shaq on his alternate accounts, still salty that Steve Nash beat him out for MVP.
Kobe stans are even more salty. At least Shaq admits that Nash deserved the 1st MVP.
@H Joseph Scoring points alone don't earn you the MVP. You get the MVP by showing how much more valuable you are for your team, which means leading them to much higher success and how much of an impact you left for your team.
@@terrymorgan5304 Nash is the most overrated player in NBA history. Barely scored, defense garbage, no rings, and all ppl can talk about is him passing a ball
@@blackconclave1962 suns was 29-53 before his arrival them jumped to the best record in the nba. He was able to lead that team to a winning record despite his co star being injured in his second mvp season. Controlled the offense like some of the all time greats. His games was not all passing because he was not just a PASSER. HE IS A POINT GUARD AND A FLOOR GENERAL. HE RUNS THE OFFENSE AND SET PLAYS. HE IS A PLAYER COACH AND NOT SOME GUYS WHO SCORES LIKE THERES NO TOMORROW AND NOT INVOLVING HIS TEAM MATES AND MADE OTHERS RUN PLAYS FOR HIM.
@@BlackOrder007 are you trying to tell me he lead that team in ppg?
I see some kids on IG say that if they played basketball in the 80s, they would be the GOAT. Wrong, kid. You wouldn't benefit from the advanced tech. You would get closelined like McHale did to Rambis and retire from there.
He was obviously tough... so he would’ve lasted. Y’all act like every game in the 80s somebody was getting killed. Which is wrong the 80s for the most part was a high scoring decade, so obviously the defense wasn’t as great as y’all make it seem. 🤷🏾♂️ fact not opinion
But I thought they played great defense back then? Why was close lining people necessary? 🤔
@@alexescutia4805 To make them think twice about coming up there again.
@@niceasf7038 Watch the late 80’s Pistons and tell me you would wanna face that defense
That's how amazingly great those guys who came in the 96 draft class, because all they can do is Go Hard and never back down.
Give that man respect...I remember watching him and was constantly amazed about how masterful he was on the court
As a Kobe fan I use to hate Nash but he a soldier just like Kobe.🤝❤️
He sold out
My all time idol!
What they always for get to mention is Nash almost won a 3rd MVP. He was 2nd in voting right behind Dirk in the year he won it :)
My basketball coach and mentor hooped at Santa Clara and he had a few records there in Free Throws, Free throw percentage, Three pointers, shooting percentage etc. and when Steve Nash went there he broke all the record my coach had so when i learned that I hella use to hate on him. In NBA LIVE 2007 I would even bench Nash and play Eisley as my point guard in my franchise mode
he reminds me of JOKER just short version
As a life long basketball fan born in 1996 I completely agree that ‘96 is the best draft class ever. Nash and Amare were fun to watch.
one working eye still played. torn achilles and still made the free throws. hes got that mamba mentality.
it was awesome watching Nash, Nowitzki, Kobe and the Spurs battle it out in the west during the mid 2000's
He was one of the greatest because he was the one who revolutionized the game and he had a very unselfish type of game.
Nash walked so Curry could run. Edit: Horry probably checked Nashs title dream.
He can still get one as a coach
@@richmahogany1710 won’t mean anything, doesn’t change how he’s viewed as a player
nash was under rated, he could score anytime when he wants to...dont look at his stats look at his game
Steve Nash was a joy to watch play. I was a HUGE fan of those Suns teams. Even though I’m from Cleveland, I actually preferred the 06-07 Suns to the 06-07 Cavs. One of the best players, and perhaps even arguably the best, to never win the Finals or make it there. He’s a champion in my book.
Dude should've won 3 Straight MVP's!!!!
Shaq sees this video and goes mental. ‚Google me ESPN‘!!
S13 is the reason I started watching NBA. and years after his retirement, i don't watch NBA anymore.
Wish he was playing this season. Unreal to see the Suns in the finals!
👍 That toughness fighting thru it came from playing hockey as a teenager. Only a hockey player can take an elbow to the eye and still play with the other one lol 🤣
wow ESPN actually deleted my comment, shame on you! So if you disagree that he was not the MVP and you do not use profanity, you still delete the comment?
A legend
My favorite player of all time. He’s the GOAT
Cap