This year, after some key additions in seasons past, the Suns seemed to be poised in their quest for the NBA Championship. Everyone at the Suns camp was saying, “This is the year!” With a tough physical series underway against the San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz (6–0 at home in the playoffs) waiting for the Suns-Spurs series winner, the road to the NBA Championship was to be filled with challenges. The Suns fought valiantly in Game 5, even without the services of All NBA Center Amare Stoudemire and his backup Boris Diaw, whose one-game suspensions came after an altercation that involved Robert Horry shoving Suns Captain Steve Nash to the floor. The result was a Game 5 lose, leaving the Suns with must-win Games 6 and 7 to make it to the Western Conference Finals.

While at the Suns team practice facility, we managed to get a few minutes with one of the team’s key additions of years past: current team leader and captain Steve Nash. Two time NBA MVP and the catalyst of the Phoenix Suns offense since arriving in 2004, Nash has enabled the Suns to become a front-runner as the team readied to capture the NBA Championship. We talked with Nash about the path to the NBA and how his journey will continue to inspire others to keep hoping for the best.

North Valley Magazine: Hello Steve. It is a pleasure to speak with you today.

Steve Nash: Thank you. Same here.



NVM: You went from St. Michael’s high school in Victoria, British Columbia, to Santa Clara University, to Phoenix, to Dallas and then back to Phoenix again. Talk about your journey.

SN: It’s been circular. It’s been great. The first time in Phoenix, I was behind some Hall of Fame guys and I had a chance to “grow up” somewhere. I loved playing in Dallas and to be able to come back to somewhere else where I loved playing [Phoenix]. It has been great.



NVM: Two NBA MVPs, multiple All-Star, and All NBA selections. So far, what has been the greatest accomplishment in your career?

SN: I would have to say being on winning teams. I take a lot of pride in the success of the team I am on. Looking back in my career and being able to say my teams won most of their games would be the best example of my work as a teammate and player.



NVM: How does it feel to have been selected again to the All NBA team this year?

SN: It is a great honor. To be selected from a group of the greatest players in the world is a tremendous accomplishment. I am very proud and honored by the award.



NVM: Amare Stoudemire [the Phoenix Suns Center] was also selected to the All NBA team. What do you think of his selection?

SN: It is an incredible tribute to him. For him to be out all last season, come back, and have the season he has had is truly remarkable. Under these circumstances, it makes it even that much more phenomenal.



NVM: Aside from natural abilities, what is the ingredient, other than you and your teammates’ natural abilities, that makes you guys stand out?

SN: I credit the coaching and training staff. We work hard and they give us an opportunity to succeed.



NVM: In an interview I had with Cy Young Award Winner Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks, he said that coming into the league with Curt Shilling and Randy Johnson as teammates helped lay the foundation for his career. How has coming into the NBA during your first stint with Phoenix, with Jason Kidd, Kevin Johnson and Sam Cassell as teammates in your early years, affected your foundation in the NBA?

SN: It was a tremendous advantage having these guys as teammates. I was able to practice with them, emulate them, watch them every day, and pick their brains.



NVM: Helping people seems to be a passion of yours. You are involved in Gulu Walk that assists war-affected children of Northern Uganda, Central American water protection projects, and visiting sick children in hospitals. What projects, if any, have you recently initiated or participated in?

SN: There are many projects I stay involved with—the ones you have mentioned and many others. I try to make sure I have time to help with these projects.



NVM: The Steve Nash Youth Basketball League has more than 10,000 children currently participating in it. Did you ever see yourself having this kind of effect on children and being able to bring basketball to the forefront in Canada?

SN: I don’t really think about it, at least not in terms of numbers. I am just happy seeing kids that have a place to play and enjoying themselves while playing basketball. It gives them a place to be active, and [for us] to create opportunities for the kids. That’s the most important part to me. The rest is, I guess, all a bonus.



NVM: Well, Steve, you have been and are a great inspiration to a lot of people. I thank you for your time and for answering the questions we had for you today.

SN: Thank you! It was a pleasure.



As the playoffs continued, Steve Nash and the Suns worked at keeping their vision locked into what all championship teams do: win the big prize. An NBA Championship for the Suns and the city of Phoenix was indeed a strong possibility. After meeting Steve Nash, I now know one thing for sure: that the Suns could not have a more humble, earnest, dedicated teammate with the heart and integrity of a champion to lead them toward capturing the NBA Championship.

However, this year’s Suns could not hold on, and fell in Game 6 to the San Antonio Spurs, with outstanding performances from Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The Spurs will advance to the Western Conference Finals against the Utah Jazz. So, for Steve Nash and his teammates, it is on to next year, and again the possibility of the Phoenix Suns’ first NBA Championship, in synch with Nash’s goal of “winning it all.”

Congratulations on a great year. We wish all of them good luck next year.