Canadian Hall of Famer Steve Nash new head coach of Brooklyn Nets
2-time MVP takes 1st NBA coaching job
Steve Nash was one of the NBA's most entertaining point guards, the engineer of a high-scoring team that helped usher in a new era of basketball.
Now the Brooklyn Nets want to see what the Canadian can do as a coach.
The Nets hired Steve Nash as their coach Thursday, putting the Hall of Fame point guard in charge of the team that hopes to have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving together next season.
"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.
Nash, a two-time MVP as the engineer of the high-scoring Phoenix Suns teams under Mike D'Antoni, had been a player development consultant with Golden State, where he worked with Durant.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was the general manager in Phoenix for part of Nash's time and took elements of the Suns' system in winning three NBA titles. He thanked and congratulated Nash with a message on Twitter.
"You are going to crush it in Brooklyn!" Kerr wrote.
Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveNash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SteveNash</a> and thank you for all your work over the years with the <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@warriors</a>. You are going to crush it in Brooklyn! <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrooklynNets</a>
—@SteveKerrThe Nets said they would have a Zoom news conference next week to introduce Nash, the franchise's 23rd coach and the second Hall of Fame point guard without head coaching experience they've hired since moving to Brooklyn in 2012.
Jason Kidd went right from being a player for the New York Knicks to coaching the Nets in 2013, leading the team to the second round of the playoffs in his lone season before leaving to coach Milwaukee.
Canadian basketball icon
Nash grew up in Victoria, playing for Canada from 1993 to 2004 and later serving as general manager of the nation's senior national team from 2012-19.
Nash is third in NBA history with 10,335 assists and was the 2005 and 2006 MVP, one of only 10 players to win it in back-to-back years. Phoenix made the Western Conference finals in both seasons, playing a style that critics sneered at as the Suns put up what, at the time, were the three highest single-season 3-point totals in league history.
WATCH | CBC Sports' Jevohn Shepherd assess Nash's new position with Nets:
Now even big men shoot 3s, as teams prioritize pace and spacing the floor rather than pounding the ball into the paint.
Nash should have a team talented enough to do all that. Not only should Durant and Irving be recovered from their surgeries, but players such as rising star Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris — assuming he is re-signed — would all fit nicely.
WATCH | CBC Sports' Matt Cullen discuss the Nets' hiring of Steve Nash:
The Nets finished the season under Jacque Vaughn, who they said would remain on the staff as Nash's lead assistant.
The Nets reached the post-season despite having Irving for only 20 games and Durant for none, but the two stars who came to Brooklyn together last summer are expected to be ready for the 2020-21 season.
Attractive proposition
That made the Nets vacancy an attractive proposition, and general manager Sean Marks said he met with a number of highly accomplished candidates. There was even speculation the Nets would try to entice Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, for whom Marks played and then worked under in San Antonio.
Instead, Marks turned to one of his former teammates.
"In Steve we see a leader, communicator and mentor who will garner the respect of our players," Marks said. "I have had the privilege to know Steve for many years. One of the great on-court leaders in our game, I have witnessed first-hand his basketball acumen and selfless approach to prioritize team success."
Vaughn finished the season after the Nets surprisingly parted ways with Kenny Atkinson on March 7. Vaughn led Brooklyn to No. 7 in the Eastern Conference despite coming to the restarted season in Disney without many of his top players.
Marks had indicated he would be a candidate to keep the job. Instead, Vaughn goes back to his former position as a Nets assistant.
"Jacque has been an integral part of our program and a key contributor to the growth and development of our entire organization," Marks added. "His role in developing our players both on and off the court and his influence driving our culture have been invaluable.
Both of New York's NBA teams have made splashy coaching hires this summer. The Knicks hired former Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau.
