Brooklyn Nets name two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash head coach

The Brooklyn Nets have named two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash as the team’s new head coach. 

Nash, a 46-year-old Canadian and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, had not previously been reported to be among the candidates for the position. His contract is a four-year deal, according to ESPN, but financial details have not been disclosed. 

The former Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks star had been working as a senior advisor for the Canadian national team in addition to his player-development consulting role with the Golden State Warriors. Nash retired as a player in 2015 after a brief, injury plagued stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

‘Coaching is something I knew I wanted to pursue when the time was right, and I am humbled to be able to work with the outstanding group of players and staff we have here in Brooklyn,’ Nash said in a statement.  

The Brooklyn Nets have named two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash as the team's new head coach. In this 2018 picture, Nash is seen during his Hall of Fame induction ceremony

The Brooklyn Nets have named two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash as the team’s new head coach. In this 2018 picture, Nash is seen during his Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Steve Nash had two separate stints with the Suns: first, as an inexperienced guard buried on the depth chart behind Jason Kidd from 1996 until 1998 (pictured), and then again from 2004 until 2012, during which time he won two NBA MVP awards

Nash accepts his MVP award in 2006

Steve Nash had two separate stints with the Suns: first, as an inexperienced guard buried on the depth chart behind Jason Kidd from 1996 until 1998 (left), and then again from 2004 until 2012, during which time he won two NBA MVP awards (right)

Brooklyn is expected to be better next year with last summer's high-priced free agent acquisitions, Kyrie Irving (left) and Kevin Durant (right), presumably back from injury

Brooklyn is expected to be better next year with last summer’s high-priced free agent acquisitions, Kyrie Irving (left) and Kevin Durant (right), presumably back from injury

Steve Nash pictured with his wife Lilla, whom he married in 2016, and their son, Luca

Steve Nash pictured with his wife Lilla, whom he married in 2016, and their son, Luca

Nash has no previous coaching experience, but that did not deter Nets general manager Sean Marks, who praised the longtime point guard’s ‘instincts for the game.’ 

‘After meeting with a number of highly accomplished coaching candidates from diverse backgrounds, we knew we had a difficult decision to make,’ Marks said in a statement. 

‘In Steve we see a leader, communicator and mentor who will garner the respect of our players. I have had the privilege to know Steve for many years. One of the great on-court leaders in our game, I have witnessed firsthand his basketball acumen and selfless approach to prioritize team success. His instincts for the game, combined with an inherent ability to communicate with and unite players towards a common goal, will prepare us to compete at the highest levels of the league. 

‘We are excited to welcome Steve, Lilla, Lola, Bella, Matteo, Luca and Ruby to Brooklyn,’ Marks added, referring to Nash’s wife and five children. 

Nash takes over for interim coach Jacque Vaughn, who replaced the fired Kenny Atkinson in March and guided Brooklyn to a first-round playoff defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors. Vaughn will remain on staff as Nash’s top assistant. 

Brooklyn is expected to be better next year with last summer’s high-priced free agent acquisitions, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, presumably back from injury. 

San Antonio Spurs coach and five-time NBA champion Gregg Popovich was reported to be a candidate by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, but Popovich and even Marks – his former player and front office pupil – had dismissed that talk in recent weeks. (Still, Popovich re-ignited rumors this week by putting his San Antonio mansion back on the market) 

In 1996, Nash (No. 13) broke into the league out of Santa Clara, a mid-major school in California

In 1996, Nash (No. 13) broke into the league out of Santa Clara, a mid-major school in California

The undermanned Nets were swept by the defending champion Raptors in the first round

The undermanned Nets were swept by the defending champion Raptors in the first round

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nash is a Canadian who grew playing basketball, soccer, and hockey in British Columbia before going on to a collegiate hoops career at Santa Clara,

The 15th-overall pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, Nash’s early professional career was stifled by a Phoenix Suns depth chart that, at various times, included legendary point guards Kevin Johnson, Sam Cassell and Jason Kidd, the latter of whom served as the Nets head coach in 2013-14.  

Beginning in 1998, Nash became known as one of the game’s best point guards and distributors after being traded to Dallas, where he teamed with budding Mavericks stars Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley. 

Nash returned Phoenix as a free agent in 2004, blossoming into a two-time NBA MVP while quarterbacking the Suns’ vaunted ‘seven seconds or less’ offense. 

The Suns finished first or second in the Pacific Division with Nash in each of the eight seasons of his second stint in Phoenix. 

In 2012 at 38, Nash signed with the Lakers, where he was expected to team with Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard on a Western Conference contender, but all three players suffered with injuries. 

Nash retired at 39 in 2014, having earned $146 million in salary over his playing career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. 

source: dailymail.co.uk