According to Adam Chan of CTV News, Steve Nash of Victoria, British Columbia will be inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2020. Nash was a two-time most valuable player in the National Basketball Association. The first time came in 2005 and the second time came in 2006–both times with the Phoenix Suns.
Nash played 18 NBA seasons from 1996 to 2014. He played with the Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. Five times Nash led the NBA in assists per game. He had 11.5 assists in 2004-05, 10.5 assists in 2005-06, 11.6 assists in 2006-07, 11 assists in 2009-10, and 11.4 assists in 2010-11.
Nash was also known for his remarkable free throw shooting. His free throw percentage in his career was .904. In 2009-10, Nash had a free throw percentage of .938 and in 2005-06, he had a free throw percentage of .921, which led the NBA each time. Nash’s free throw percentage is second all-time. He only trails Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who has a career free throw percentage of .906. Interestingly, Nash is currently a player development consultant for the Warriors.
Nash is also third all-time in total assists with 10, 335. He only trails John Stockton, who has 15, 806, and Jason Kidd, who has 12,091.
Another reason why Nash was inducted into the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame is because of his performance at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Even though Team Canada did not win a medal, one could argue that Team Canada exceeded expectations. They opened the tournament by beating the host Australian side 101-90. That was followed by wins over Angola (99-54), Spain (91-77), and Yugoslavia (83-75). Canada reached the quarterfinals with a lot of momentum, however, they then lost 68-63 to France.
