The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares

Greatest NBA Player #38: Steve Nash-129.73

NBA legend Steve Nash just barely making the top-40 is a testament to how many great players the league has had. He was one of the more important players in the 2000s, including partnering with Dirk Nowitzki for three deep playoff runs before leaving for the Suns. Nash was the on-court orchestrator for the “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns, which is arguably the most important team of the last 25 years. The D’Antoni-coached and Nash-led Suns helped reinvent offense in the early 2000s after the NBA changed the rules to limit hand-checking.

The Suns took full advantage of Nash, utilizing his incredible playmaking ability by giving him free rein to push the pace. Often surrounded by three shooters and an elite roll-man in Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix proved incredibly difficult to stop during their four-year run. Nash won consecutive MVPs during that stretch by leading the NBA in assists. He also led the Suns to consecutive Western Conference Finals.

While he never won a championship as a member of the Mavericks, Suns, or Lakers, Nash is remembered as one of the best point guards ever. He was also one of the best shooters. His career shooting percentages of 49% from the field, 42.8% from three, and 90.7% from the line are surprisingly close to the 50/40/90 gold standard.

In fact, his career .605 true shooting is the third-best of the 50 players on this list. That said, Nash was a notoriously bad defender, and that held him back in these rankings so 38 it is for Nash.