Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash Earns His Rightful Place In Ring Of Honor
Nash’s Lasting Legacy
No one had any reason to object to Nash taking as long as he needed to have his moment after a Hall of Fame career. But as he continued to ramble on, it became more and more obvious that “Nash’s moment” was very similar to the way he played the game of basketball: focused on elevating those around him first and foremost.
Nash thanked the members of the Suns Ring of Honor who were in attendance, saying, “I look up to all these guys. I admire every single one of them and think of them as my idols.” He singled out Charles Barkley, admitting that he “wasn’t as good a basketball player as the Chuckster.”
He thanked his teammates, divulging what everyone already knew about his fondness for being a part of something bigger than himself. “I love being a part of a team,” he said. “I love being a teammate. I love building something, I love putting the pieces together….My teammates were amazing. My teammates were incredible that I played with here in Phoenix.”
Though Nash — who admitted he hadn’t prepared a speech and that “they gave me a lot of drinks in the last couple of hours” — was all over the map in his big moment, the theme stayed consistent: It was all about what everyone had given him, and not the other way around.
When he moved his attention to the fans, Nash could barely be heard over the the Talking Stick Resort Arena crowd that roared with every subsequent pause.
"“The fans in Phoenix — you guys were so good to me. You supported me, you loved me, we went through bad times together, we went through great times together, you guys always, always, always — it’s incredible to think that you guys on the top shelf who couldn’t even tell what my number was, you guys always came and the arena was always sold out, it was always loud, you were always wearing your jerseys. “For you guys to do that, to make that commitment to our team and to myself, I will never, ever, ever be able to tell you how much that meant to me. It really, really touched me.”"
Just as the fans may never know how much their support meant to him, Steve Nash may never let himself think about how much he meant to the city of Phoenix, both on and off the court. His play on the court made the Suns a perennial contender, while his philanthropic work strengthened the community off of it.
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In fact, during the halftime festivities, the Suns presented a $100,000 check to the Steve Nash Foundation and Educare Arizona, which are dedicated to improving education in the Valley.
“Steve is a great basketball player. We’ve seen it thousands of times,” D’Antoni said. “But more importantly, Steve, you’re a good man.”
By all rights, Nash is one of the greatest point guards and purest shooters to ever play the game of basketball. He’s a four-time member of the prestigious 50-40-90 club, a two-time MVP, an eight-time NBA All-Star, a seven-time All-NBA selection and a five-time NBA leader in assists. He’s third on the NBA’s list of all-time assists leaders (10,335) and is the greatest free throw shooter in NBA history at 90.4 percent.
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But his selfless legacy comes as a great player and a great person, which makes Nash — as Al McCoy said best — “the heart and soul of what Suns basketball is all about.”
Welcome to the Ring of Honor, Steve. Your time couldn’t have come soon enough.