The 75 greatest NBA players of the 2010s, ranked

49) Steve Nash

Phoenix Suns legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Steve Nash built the bulk of his legacy in the 1990s and especially in the 2000s but he still had enough good seasons in the 2010s to make the cut here. Nash played a total of five seasons in the 2010s, including three with the Suns and two with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Even despite him being in his mid- to late 30s, Nash was still a very good player at the start of the 2010s, even leading the NBA in assists in back-to-back seasons and making two All-Star appearances. With that strong play late in his career, the Lakers made the gamble of acquiring Nash for three first-round picks in the summer of 2011. 

The plan was to pair him with Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard to form a super team that could dominate the league. Instead, it turned into one of the greatest failures in NBA history, with the Lakers barely making the playoffs and Nash only playing 65 games over his final two years in the NBA with Los Angeles. 

Although Nash had an ugly end to his career and failed to win a championship after it looked as though he initially might, he still had a terrific decade, including averaging 14.0 points and 10.0 assists in 283 games. As a result, he is absolutely deserving of being considered one of the greatest players of the 2010s.