Over 10 years ago, Steve Nash made the decision to re-sign with the team who’d drafted him – the Phoenix Suns – and rejuvenated both his career and the franchise. As a member of what would come to be known as the 7 Seconds or Less Suns, Nash would lead Phoenix to a franchise record 62 wins his first season back in the desert and 54 wins his second year back.
Nash had incredible shooting seasons each year and led the league in assists as well, 11.5 APG in 04-05 and 10.5 APG in 05-06. He had uncharacteristically low scoring numbers for an MVP, 15.5 in 04-05 and 18.8 in 05-06, which could be the only case, in my eyes, to argue against his consecutive MVP awards.
Yet here we are today, just days after a statue of Shaquille O’Neal was erected at the Staples Center, and we’re talking about Shaq complaining that he deserved those two MVPs more than Nash.
Per Sports Illustrated, Shaq said the following:
“LeBron James and I are similar,” O’Neal said earlier this month in Atlanta. “We could be MVP every year. But the voters don’t give it every year and he’s already got four. I should have won three, easily. Kobe Bryant should have won three, too. I should have won the two that Steve Nash got over me. It pisses me off. Nash knows.”
After all the championships, the All-Star selections, All-NBA selections, all the money, and now the statue immortalizing him, it seems petty of O’Neal to be complaining about a couple MVP awards. Not only is it petty, but it’s insulting to Nash to insinuate he didn’t earn and deserve the awards himself.
Nash even came in runner-up for a third consecutive MVP in 06-07 averaging 18.6 points and 11.6 assists per game while shooting 53% from the field, 46% from beyond the arc, and 90% on free throws. Though that year the MVP went to Nash’s former teammate, Dirk Nowitzki, Nash hasn’t complained about deserving his third MVP that year. Maybe it speaks to Nash’s character versus Shaq’s character.
