Did Steve Nash Deserve To Win His MVPs? 

0:01 - 0:22 - Shaq has a big ego issue. Jeez, from Dwight to McGee to Nash. It's like he enjoys having this bully personality despite being one of the best players, and accomplishing a lot of the court.

Shaq is so damn petty, man. "Does this name mean anything? 2 time MVP Steve Na-" "No." Let it go, dude. It was over a decade ago lmao

I like the fact that you mentioned: 1. Best Player and MVP are different. Because definitely MJ and LBJ would conquer everything. 2. Dirk could've won the 2006 if not for the division rules. Keep it up Andy Hoopaa 👍

Probably one of the most underrated MVP/ All-stars of that 2000's era. He was effective on every part of the floor, especially in those unseen stats. His ability to floor general and basically up the caliber of his team through his own I.Q. and ability to react and push the offense extremely fast. His supporting Cast in Phoenix at times were very lackluster. Barbosa, Diaw, Stoudemire and etc... were all interesting (Stoudemire being a force back then) pieces but didn't fit together in many ways without a top tier point guard pulling them together and getting them to places that they can score. Steve Nash was a great player and is going to be a great coach due to his extreme I.Q., one of the most fun players to watch (phoenix suns team was extremely enjoyable to watch during his reign)

How good was Corey Maggette a soild scorer in his prime in the 2000s.

People also sometimes under-estimate Nash's leadership and toughness.

People who says Nash doesn’t deserve it, clearly didn’t watch games before and just looked at the stats.

How good was Pau Gasol actually. A player who only gets remembered for his days with the Lakers but not what he has done before and after

I was in high school during Nash’s prime in the mid-2000s. Anyone who watched him at the time would agree that he deserved at least one of those MVPs without question. Hell, even at the time he won those MVPs I rarely heard anyone question it. Nash and the Suns ushered in a revolutionary system that took the league by storm. Give the man his respect.

I just came here for the "Steve Nash robbed Kobe of an MVP award" comments.

You can actually argue that he deserved to 3peat and win MVP in 07 too. Guy will always be my fav player, I won't tolerate any Nash hate lol. As a kid in Phx during those years, it was magical. Just a kid from some small school in Canada who had a plethora of back problems but soldiered through it and won 2 MVPs in his 30s. Guy was a warrior.

Nash deserved his mvps his impact to that suns team was unlike anything we've seen in a long time

Basketball fans put too little value in assists. One of my favorite stats. Knowing when to make the right pass is an enormously important skill.

Steve nash is one of the greatest point guards ever

Shaq isn’t wrong at the beginning about deserving at least one of those MVPs but the way he says it gahh lee this manz ego is so easily bruised

Man, ANDY always showing the 2004/05 - 2010 SUNS love. Thanks, dude. They didn't make the FINALS, but they were a fun team to watch. Being from PHX, we hadn't really seen that kind of success since BARKLEY from 93-95, so it was cool. Thanks for the shine, ANDYHOOPS.

Nash also turned it up and activated playoff mode and proved he could drop 30 on your head if he wanted. He was a legit star in the regular season and could turn it up a notch in the playoffs. His toughness and selfless, revolutionary playstyle really separated him from his peers, IMO. I am a Suns fan due to watching Nash growing up in AZ, and he made basketball so exciting to watch. I just wish the 2007 series against the Spurs didn't happen the way it did. I will forever resent Robert Horry for his cheap shot on Nash and ultimately leading us to lose the series due to the suspensions from that fight.

My favorite player ever, definitely deserved those 2 MVP's..dont know why Shaq said he got robbed twice when he didnt even crack the top 10 in '06 😅

Imma Laker fan and Steve Nash deserves that MVP. Sure Kobe's number are great but his team never past the 1st round and just below 45 wins that time while nash team won 50-60 games.

I love your videos so much Andy! Keep up the exceptional work

Nash’s first MVP is undebatable. He improved a losing team to a competitive playoff team and started the foundations for today’s brand of basketball. Nobody questioned it when he got it. And yes he deserved his second as well.

How good was David Thompson, underrated 70s scorer

Love your videos, Andy. Keep up the great work, bro.🔥

Steve Nash definitely deserved MVP both times he won. He historically turned around the suns team in 2005 to over 60 wins and took a suns team in 2006 to the western conference finals.

I appreciate the context placed on nash's mvps. Too many people look at surface level things like stats to discredit him

How good is Luis Scola or How good is Wally Szczerbiak? Love it how Scola operates down low and Wally is one of the few all stars that played with KG in Minnesota

Great Video Broh! I know i am little biased because I am one of the biggest Steve Nash fans. (then and now.) You mention it in the video. The reason he won the MVPs was because of the revolutionary style of play. Those Suns teams at that time revolved around Nash. He possessed the ball an obscene amount of the time. It was so much fun watching him. I went out of my way to watch Suns games. It was what kind of crazy mind blowing assist am i going to see next.

Great video! BTW that was also the best episode open court has ever had in the beginning of the video, it was insanely entertaining

People dont understand and its most "valuable" player. Not the highest scorer. Its what they bring to your team, which incudes more than just PPG or stats. Maybe they make everyone in their team better like Nash did.

Westbrooks MVP should be the controversial one. He got an MVP off of stat padding and having his team purposely let him get rebounds so he can get his precious triple doubles that seem to mean more to him than wins. Anyone that thinks Nash didn't deserve his MVP's clearly does not understand the difference between the most valuable player and the best player. And chooses to blend them together as if they are the same thing.

I was a huge Steve Nash fan and watched those teams very closely back then. I remember one Sunday headline game Phoenix vs LeBron and the Cavaliers. LeBron talked crap before the game but backed his words up with a 50 point performance, but Phoenix won by 20 and Nash had like 18 or 20 assists. That's all you need to know about those peak Nash years.

Shaq can’t say KD or Steph shouldn’t win an MVP because they were on a stacked team when he himself was playing with the 2nd and 3rd best SG in history

I actually agree with Shaq. That 05 MVP also was Shaq's first year in Miami and he propelled that team to the East Finals, just a win away from the NBA Finals had D Wade not gotten injured. But as a Heat fan, I recognize we wouldn't have played so well that year without Shaq. So in the same sense that Nash was winning those trophies cus he meant a lot to the Suns, so did Shaq to the Heat that year. Wade was breaking out but still a year away from absolutely blossoming in his championship year. Im okay with Steve winning in 06 but I think Shaq deserved it in 05.

Andy you missed an important point at the beginning of the 04-05 season the NBA changed a lot of defensive rules such hand checking because the league wanted a faster pace and less defense. Most likely this changement of rules are one of the reason of Nash dominance

I just finish watching “how good was steve nash” and by odds you upload this like my small brain explode 😂😂

Absolutely great video!!! He deserved it!!! 2006 was good one!!!

Thank you Andy for this Video. NASH deserved both mvp Trophys 100% 👍🏼

Thanks for this vid Andy. I honestly thought Nash didn't deserve his 06 MVP because of Kobe's insane 06 campaign. But after watching this video with the added context, he definitely earned the MVP (though I still would've chosen Kobe if that makes sense lol)

The main reason behind Nash becoming an MVP caliber player was Jerry Colangelo, who was the Suns chairman and at the same time (in 2001) headed a committee that called for the elimination of the illegal defense and the introduction of the Zone Defense. And considering that Colangelo was involved in the rule changing, the Suns planned to adjust their roster to the way they expected the game to be played in the near future. As a result, their offense would become ahead of their time.

The MVP award should always be considered with the team record and what they achieved during the season. This is why, in my opinion, J.Harden had never been robbed with only one MVP in his personal trophy cabinet. Stats are one thing, but context should never be not considered so Nash deserved it even if Shaq was very close in 2005. Thanks for the video and for letting kids know who S.Nash was and how he lead an average team to achieve great stuff in his slow era.

Thank you! Shaq is so petty! Always questioning nash's 2 mvps when nash definitely deserved them. He may have had a case in 05 but not in 06! Only Dirk (and to a lesser extent, lebron) had an argument in 06.

He was the definition of CARRYING. You know how hard it is to average 11.5 ast and have your efficiency be off the charts... while playing with trash? The fact that they were a 23 win team just the year before is proof it was all him. Well deserved mvp.. Good video.

Those Suns teams were so much fun. I’m a Mavs fan, but I miss our battles with them.

My fav pg all time love his game

Definitely deserves his MVPs. Why is this even being debated?

He was the true MVP. Sorry Shaq. Make a goddamn free throw. 😂

Yes more Andy hoops to cure my boredom and goated nba content

andy you should've mentioned that prior to the rule changes, jerry colangelo was consulted by the NBA on how to fasten the game and his suggestions were approved by the NBA by all accts isn't that odd that the phx suns were the most prepared and equipped to handle these changes going into the season? that's kind of like knowing the questions beforehand during a big important exam?

He’s the reason I’m a Suns fan and he’s my favorite player of all time

Nash was a far greater leader than those you've mention, especially shq

*Knicks fan here* That Suns Team was exciting AF to watch. Think of when Curry/Thompson and the Warriors came in cooking everyone from outside. That’s how the Suns were. Nash/Richardson were like the splash brothers. Everyone was killing it. That offense took the League by storm. That’s why Nash won those MVPs.

I loved to watch that Suns team playing.

Yeah, I remembered that after Jordan's retirement, there were several years NBA became very boring. I just can't bear to watch Spurs vs Pistons. Then things gradually became exciting. Nash was sensational.

of course nash deserved his mvps. because he brought two different kinds of value to his team. he wasn't just a one-man army like the other superstars of his time winning games on their own (which, given his shiftiness and shooting, he was definitely capable of if he wanted), he made everyone around him better. he wasn't making the team better by simply winning more for his team, his team won more because he made his team-mates better. he was the brain and heartbeat of his team. he turned a bunch of misfits into contenders. he made his team's system work. because he was the system. so yeah, best player in the league? definitely no. but most valuable to a team? absolutely.

2005 - 2006 regular season: Steve Nash - 18.8 ppg 10.5 apg 0.8 spg Allen Iverson - 33.0 ppg 7.4 apg 1.7 spg Iverson also led the league in minutes per game

I am gonna comment 'totally' even without seeing your video. Nash was a magician on the court

I never doubted Nash's mvps because he is the definition of anti-statsketball (what we do today , looking only at stats ) the impact he had was sth else...

"He won 2 MVPs because of white privilege" - SAS

love your videos bra, always a celebration when you post! ...yes I'm a little ashamed I just said "bra".

Nash is the man he got hacked in the playoffs and still come up big. Not to mention he is one of the best shooter in the league

Won 2, deserved both. But people see big scoring numbers and turn braindead like "Ooo Shiny".

Steven Nash was my idol back in the 2000's. I mimicked his play style, albeit my shooting was like 0.7% 😂

Hello friend, Im a big fan of your videos, but I have a lot of questions about teams drafting a lot of over seas players high in the lottery that now this days make no sense, like mouhamed sene in 2006 or fran vazquez in 2005, It'll be a great topic for a video.

Nash's best skill was his ability to make all 5 players on the court play at or near their best.. something other NBA 'stars' don't quite achieve, and almost none at Nash's level with a few rare exceptions. Nash on the court.. for the coach.. was like having instant play-making in the fly without the lag-delay. Nash knew how to create, react and lead by example. Rare bird in any sport.. NBA was a better organization because of him. Looking forward to seeing what Nash can do as a coach.

Shaq gotta be careful more and more people who did like his personality begin to be turn-off by his pettiness.

If you think Nash didn‘t deserve his MVPs you have no basketball knowledge

Steve Nash is highly underrated if someone were to play like him today. They would be goated

Having watched NBA since the 90s, 2000 to 2010 is probably the best decade in the NBA I have seen. 1. Balanced offensive and defensive playstyle (where a plethora of two-way HOFers played in this era). 2. Balanced inside and outside game (The time were post players were still respected while other players are transitioning to three-pointers). 3. One of the best if not the best draft class of all time (2003). 4. Boston vs Lakers, arguably the best rivalry in the NBA, were back in the Finals. 5. Olympics Redeem team are formed in this era (arguably in the same spot as the Dream Team). 6. An underrated team shocked the world and won a championship (Pistons). 7. MJ, Kobe, and Bron played in this era (arguably top 3 all-time). 8. Top 4 all-time SGs played in this era (MJ, Kobe, Wade, AI). 9. Top PF of all time played in this era (Duncan). 10. Most dominant player of all time played in this era (Shaq). 11. Best dunker of all time played in this era (Vince Carter). 12. Coaches with the most wins all-time are still coaching (Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich, Pat Riley, Larry Brown, Jerry Sloan, and Don Nelson).

People don't appreciate players like him who make others good but they appreciate him when he's not playing anymore.

Nash absolutely deserved both MVPs. He improved the Suns so much even when other key players like Stoudemire were out with injuries. His impact was ridiculous. The Suns are my second team since I was born in Arizona and Nash certainly deserved to win MVP in 2005 and 2006.

Final request make a video on Sam Cassel role player with the championship rockets and Celtics and formed 2 “big 3s” in Minnesota with Spreewell and Garnett. And in Milwaukee with Big dog Robinson and Ray Allen

You should cover the story of the Hall of Famer Nikos Galis one (if not the best) player who never played in the NBA due to a bad agent

Early gang wya

Guys repent from your sins Jesus Christ is coming back soon you don’t want to be left behind.

Tom Chambers, forgotten Superstar for the suns in the early 90s. I don’t know much about his career and I’d love to see a video on him

Steve Nash is the name I give when I want to illustrate to someone that stats dont always give you a clear insight as to how good a player someone is. Nash is just that. Yes, he deserved both (It was close)

Shaq has such a fragile ego. Between this and his beef with dwight the dude is a baby.

Robbed Kobe and the league just let it happen 🥱

Nash 100% deserved his first MVP. I also he Dirk deserved his 2nd MVP but it is close. The ultimate NBA IQ test is to ask someone about Steve Nash's MVPs if they say he deserved niether and they should have gone to Shaq and Kobe then you know they are a casual

Nash is so underrated. He was the Wayne Gretzky of the NBA. A true basketball genius.

Steve Nash was not an MVP over shah and Kobe....dude has no rings...aka Great white hope unfortunately. Unlike Jokic who actually deserved it.

Bye Trump

Was turned the Suns around, he changed the game of NBA basketball for the better, and Nash played like an all-time great point guard, which he was. Did Nash deserve the MVP? ABSOLUTELY

Great video! I was also curious about his MVP wins when you hear all the time that he stole them from Kobe or Shaq. I always thought that the MVP was given to the player with the best record so I was confused when I saw that there were teams with better records in 2006 and no one on those teams got the award. Thanks for explaining.

Kobe snubbed

Make a video on Eddie Jones the lakers “shooting guard of the future” before he wasn’t the shooting guard of the future😬 RIP KOBE!!

If robert horry didnt hipcheck Nash in 2007 he might have a ring

Hi andy, Are there players who perform better in the Playoffs than the regular season? Looking forward for a respond 😊

New episode of the pod out this week featuring Bucketscenter from IG! We talked about the differences between creating content on both platforms, his past quarrel with KD and I also expanded on my MCN situation one last time *DISCLAIMER* The video for 3 of the cohosts is out of sync this week, however the audio is perfectly fine. My apologies for it and we will be better about it next week RU-vid: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vZT7TtqIFBg.html iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7KgP...

I deffo think he deserved the first one, but the second one should have gone to dirk or lebron. Edit: Shaq didn’t even have a case the second year because his production fell to 20 9 and 2 while the previous year he had 23 10 and 3 but he did lead the league with 60 fg both years, additionally Dwayne wade improved from 24 5 and 7 on 47.8 fg to 27 6 and 7 on 49.5 fg. He definitely would have won mvp in 2005 if nash didn’t exist but in 2006 he wasn’t even the best player on his team.

If you told voters now that Steve Nash would win more MVP’s than Kobe, Shaq, Dirk, D Wade, Garnett, etc… they would probably change their minds and give one or both to somebody else. That’s not how it works, though.

So happy someone paying respect to nash man

I believe that voters and people should rethink all the "seed is important" question. The team record isn't inportant alone on his own, it wouldn't make any sense, it plays a part beacause if you're a great player your team wins beacause of you. For example this year the Bucks would be very much worse without Giannis but he is so good he makes his team win the games. Team record is a stat that has to be contextualized. The situation Kobe had in '06 was completely different that the one Nash had, you gotta look at how that team record was set not just look at it and make assumption, it would be looking at FG% and saying Deandre Jordan is the most efficient scorer ever beacause he had a season with 70%. Or maybe you prefer not giving MVP to Dirk who lead a worse team to 60 wins just beacause some horrible rules made them the 4th seed. It doesn't make any sense

his stats were arguably even better on the 3rd MVP run.

Deserve?? He earned that shit he literally made that team and he did it in his 30’s, people who say he didn’t deserve it just go off of what Shaq has said about it and look just solely at the stats I swear

Steve always been one of my favorite players in the 2000's and he deserved the 2005 MVP!! Cause he made Phoenix franchise relevant again💯 Im from Detroit💪 i ride with my Pistons💯💯 but. I always been a fan of Steve Nash since his days with Dirk and the Mavericks!! Now 2006? I felt Kobe should of won that year cause he did it with less talent

Straight yes! Well deserved! Made a 29-53 win team the previous year turn into a 62-20 team when he arrived with only him as the new player added to the same roster and he did even better the next year with amare stoudemire injured. Plus he made the game more fun to watch! Plus its called Most Valuable player award. He was the most valuable player for his team making them so successful for those 2 years. MVP is not a Best Individual Stat and efficiency for the season award 😅 they can maybe make that award someday but if it did exist yes of course steve nash wouldn’t win it

Just watch the sun's replay on a Wednesday game mid season those years . He was consistently a highlight machine ....drives /assists/decision making .....all with goofy eyes ha ha

Epic. Elite.

if Shaq cared about MVP he'd he could have won it practically whenever he wanted, but since he "got hurt on company time" and "recovered on company time"...