TORONTO, Ont. (September 7, 2018) - Canada Basketball would like to congratulate Steve Nash on his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

“This is incredible to obviously be here with this group,” Nash said.  “This is a dream team for me and to be a part of it is an incredible honour.”

Representing Canada internationally for over ten years, Nash is best remembered for leading the team to the quarter-finals of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.  He also earned FIBA Americas MVP honours in 1999 and 2003. In 2012, Nash returned to the team as the General Manager of the Senior Men's National Team.

Nash joins fellow Canadians Dr. James Naismith (Inventor - 1959), Ernest C. Quigley (Official - 1961), Peter F. "Pete" Newell (Coach - 1979) and Robert J. "Bobby" Houbregs (Player - 1987), to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Prior to his illustrious NBA career, Nash attended St. Michael's University School in Victoria, where he helped the Blue Jags win a provincial championship in his senior season.

Following his high school career, Nash attended Santa Clara University (1992-1996) where he was named a two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year (1994-95, 1995-96).  In one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, Nash and 15th-seeded Broncos upset the No. 2 seeded Arizona Wildcats.

Selected 15th overall by Phoenix in the 1996 NBA Draft, Nash enjoyed a 19-year playing career in the NBA with the Suns (1996-1998, 2004-2012), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), and Los Angeles Lakers (2012-2015).

Nash earned league MVP honors in back-to-back seasons (2005, 2006) with the Suns, becoming just the 10th player in NBA history to win the award in consecutive seasons and first Canadian to earn the prestigious Maurice Podoloff Trophy.

An eight-time NBA All-Star (2002-2003, 2005-2008, 2010, 2012), Nash, a 6'3" point guard, was also a three-time All-NBA First Team member (2005-2007).

Nash finished his career ranked third all-time with 10,335 assists after leading the NBA in Assists Per Game for five seasons (2005-2007, 2010, 2011).  In 1,217 regular-season games, Nash averaged 14.3 points, 8.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 31.3 minutes per contest.  He also appeared in 120 playoff games, averaging 17.3 points and 8.8 assists.

One of Canada's most decorated athletes, Nash received the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's athlete of the year in 2005 and was a three-time Lionel Conacher Award recipient as Canadian male athlete of the year.

A leader both on and off the court, the Steve Nash Foundation assists underserved children in their health, personal development, education and enjoyment of life, while the Steve Nash Youth Basketball program has over 19,000 participants enrolled across Canada.

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