The Phoenix Suns have announced they plan to induct legendary point guard Steve Nash into their ring of honor this fall. Nash, who led the famous "Seven Seconds or Less" teams in the mid-00s, winning two MVPs and helping transform offensive basketball in ways that are evident in and credited by the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, joins other Suns luminaries in the prestigious hall. From the official press release:
Nash, the team’s heart and soul during an era of Suns basketball that revolutionized the NBA, led the club to its best record in franchise history in 2004-05, and earned back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player awards in 2005 & 2006. An eight-time All-Star (six with the Suns), Nash finished his career as the Suns’ all-time leader in assists, 3-point field goals made, and free-throw percentage. Originally drafted by the Suns with the 15th overall pick in the First Round of the 1996 NBA Draft, Nash played a total of 10 seasons in the Valley of the Sun (1996-1998, 2004–2012), and ranks third on the Suns all-time games played list.
Suns fans with Twitter or Facebook can share their favorite Steve Nash memory at Suns.com, which they will then be able to post via their respective social media channels with the hashtag, #NashROH. The award-winning website also highlights Nash’s storied Suns career with a tribute video, photo gallery, info-graphic and much more.
Nash will become the fourteenth member of the Suns Ring of Honor, joining Alvan Adams, Charles Barkley, Tom Chambers, Jerry Colangelo, Walter Davis, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Connie Hawkins, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, John MacLeod, Joe Proski, Dick Van Arsdale and Paul Westphal, as those who have received the Suns highest honor.
Source: Suns to Induct Steve Nash into Ring of Honor | Phoenix Suns.
It's great that the Suns are so quick to make amends with Nash, who left as a free agent in a sign and trade with the Lakers in 2012, as part of the ill-fated super-team construction along with Dwight Howard. After all, this happened:
In some ways, the news of Nash going into Phoenix's Ring of Honor only underscores a less pleasant point: Nash should never have left Phoenix. At the time, Nash was going to pursue contention. The Suns had fallen off and with Amar'e Stoudemire's departure, headed toward a rebuilding era. Nash wanted to contend for a title in his latter years, and most fans of Nash and even in Phoenix wanted better for him than to spend his last years on a team languishing.
However, that Phoenix training staff had kept Nash -- like so many other often-injured players -- healthy and on the floor. It was a comfortable situation for him, and as long as he was there, the Suns weren't going to go away from the style that made him successful. Nash's desire to be closer to his kids in LA, was a huge part of his decision to sign with the Lakers, but you just wonder if beyond that how things would have worked out. Nash fell apart physically almost immediately in LA, suffering a leg injury that exacerbated his back condition.
Nash spent much of his early career as a Maverick and had memorable seasons with Dallas. But Nash will always be remembered as a Sun. The decision to join the Lakers with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and eventually Dwight Howard seemed like a no-brainer at the time, but in retrospect, it would have been so much better had Nash simply stayed in the valley. Sometimes there's no place like home.
Still, it's awesome that Suns fans will get another chance to honor the man who did stuff like this nightly:
