Philadelphia 76ers: Top 5 draft selections in Bryan Colangelo’s career

1. Steve Nash (PG) — No. 15 pick in 1996 NBA Draft

Not even Colangelo could have come close to forecasting what Nash would accomplish throughout his career. Especially when you consider that when he was drafted, the Suns already had veteran point guard Kevin Johnson at the starting spot, only to bring in superstar point guard Jason Kidd midway through his rookie campaign. It was therefore no surprise that Nash averaged just 3.3 points and 2.1 assists in 10.5 minutes per game.

After a second frustrating season, Nash sought and was granted a trade to the Dallas Mavericks. Following an initial adjustment period with the Mavericks, Nash’s confidence and overall game simply grew year by year. Teamed with All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, Nash quickly established himself as one of the most proficient and consistent point guards in the game.

Despite earning All-Star honors twice in his six seasons in Dallas, team owner Mark Cuban wasn’t interested in matching the five-year, $65 million contract offered by the team that originally drafted him – the Suns. Nash was 30 years old at the time and had a history of back issues, but Colangelo nonetheless saw the possibility of teaming the Canadian native with incoming offensive-minded coach, Mike D’Antoni.

At the time of the move, Nash noted:

"“It’s exciting, but it’s also bittersweet. I’m really sad to leave my teammates, but I’m glad to be going somewhere where they really wanted me.”"

The result would’ve defied even Colangelo’s wildest expectations. Nash’s first season back in Phoenix resulted in 62 wins and a trip to the Western Conference Finals, falling to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. The following season saw the Suns return to the conference finals, this time falling to Nash’s old team, the Mavericks.

Although the team came up short, Nash was richly rewarded, earning back-to-back MVP awards. Considering where Nash came from entering the league and his initial few seasons, this was simply an amazing accomplishment.

Almost as impressive as the impact Nash had in his second year with the Suns was his durability. Eventually retiring at age 40, Nash’s commitment to training, nutrition and recovery was almost ahead of his time.

Once his career had wound up, Colangelo offered his perspective on Nash’s amazing career:

"“He’s one of the best players to never win a championship…I think Steve’s comfortable with the fact he didn’t win it because I know he did everything possible and laid out every ounce of effort that he needed to try to help his team. He did make his teammates better on and off the floor because everything he did reeked of professionalism across the board. “Whether it was endless hours of individual shooting routines, diet and exercise, leadership on and off the floor, the things that he was committed to for the organizations he played for….He’s certainly a future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.”"

Next: NBA Draft - The best player selected in all 60 spots

So naturally, every diehard Sixers fan will be following the June 22 draft and praying that Colangelo can procure the next Nash or Stoudemire among this year’s loaded draft class.