During the 2007-08 NBA season, many Canadians were hopeful that Steve Nash would contemplate playing the following year to help them qualify for the Beijing Olympics. By then, Nash had established himself as a sports icon of the country with his superstardom for the Phoenix Suns, winning two league MVPs as a premiere floor general.
Unfortunately, as many were waiting for his decision, Nash made a surprising and disheartening announcement regarding his future involvement with the Canadian national team.
"I would say no, but I can't really talk about it until the situation arrives and this season's come to a conclusion," Nash said . "But in my mind right now, I'm not going to play for Canada anymore. I just can't do both.”
Conflicted by national and career interest
During his youth, Nash was a mainstay in serving for the Canadian team . His defining moment in leading the nation was in the 2000 Sydney Games, wherein he and his national squad defied the odds by making it to the quarterfinals. It was all commitment from Steve for the country's honor until the tables turned after their failed bid in the 2004 Olympic Qualifiers.
For plenty of reasons, Nash has shied away from suiting up the nation's proud colors ever again. Following the event, he felt betrayed by how the national federation sacked Jay Triano from his head coaching duties. A good friend and mentor he considers, Steve deemed Triano's firing as unacceptable, which convinced him to rescind his eligibility to play for Canada permanently as a way of protest.
While this dismissal has been the well-known reason why Steve didn't participate for Team Canada again, his grinding play for the Suns is also a considerable one. Already in his 30s, Nash had no choice but to prioritize his health over anything else. Running a fast-paced ‘7 Seconds or Less’ system in an entire regular season couldn't be more physically demanding, and adding mileage by playing more games during summer would offer further risks and danger to his body. And with Phoenix having greater chances to contend as a prime title heavyweight, Nash preferred to stick to his commitment to the NBA rather than to Canada, which at that point wasn't enough to compete in the global basketball arena.
Related: Steve Kerr on why Devin Booker has started every game for Team USA: "He's probably been the guy who's been most adaptable"
Still a Canadian hoops great
Intriguingly, Nash’s Canadian run was no less productive and glamorous than his pro career. The time when he entered the prime stage of his career, he became inactive for representing them against other countries. It might be sad for most of Canada, but Steve had valid reasons to present at that time, which are understandable from his career perspective. In the end, his international inactivity for the North made him capable of cementing himself as an all-time great and the best basketball player of his nation upon retiring in 2015.
He never played for his national team again after 2004, but Nash sought to make amends for his absence from international basketball through leadership. In 2012, he took on the role of the federation's general manager. After seven years, he stepped down and now serves as a senior advisor, helping to pave the way for the current success of Canadian basketball, headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Related: Rasheed Wallace dismisses the comparison between Jason Kidd and Steve Nash: "Nash was a liability on defense"
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