An excerpt from the interview was posted on the web about a month ago. Here's the full article.
http://jensfreethrows.wordpress.com/2007/04/21/steve-nash-playboy-interview-in-full/
Give you something to read before the big game
A few parts I liked:
Playboy: The media guide says that you’re six-foot-three. How big a lie is that?
Nash: I’m six-two. I’m not growing any taller, and at my age I can’t just play defense all summer, which is the best way to improve-to guard guys. I tried to get a little stronger and quicker last summer, but there aren’t enough hours in the day, not enough recovery hours, for me to use up my body that way. My being healthy is a bigger priority for our team than my defense.
--
Playboy: Your Mavs teammate Finley said you were the coolest guy in the league. He called you Wolverine for the way you slice and dice defenses and for your Hugh Jackman-like effect on the ladies.
Nash: I think he was joking.
Playboy: Female fans held up signs that said MARRY ME, NASH. How much fun was it to be the NBA’s most eligible bachelor?
Nash: Any young guy with money has a shot at a nice bachelor lifestyle. The NBA’s no different. You’ve got the most opportunities to meet women in the big cities: New York, L.A., Chicago and Miami- that’s a fascinating town. But what do I know? I’m a father of two.
Playboy: Not until two years ago. Any tips on fending off NBA groupies?
Nash: the usual image of groupies lounging in hotel lobbies- I never saw that. The groupie knows where players go in a particular town, which restaurant or bar, and goes there looking for them.
Playboy: Ever meet one you could relate to- a well-read, politically aware groupie?
Nash: Nah. I’d remember that. Those don’t grow on trees.
--
Playboy: Let’s fast-break through your formative years. Born in South Africa, moved with your family to British Columbia, where you grew up playing soccer.
Nash: The first word that I ever said was goal!! But all my friends in eighth grade loved basketball, so I switched. It was an exciting, romantic time for the game, and I was swept up in it. The Showtime Lakers, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and my favorite player, Isiah Thomas.
--
Playboy: Did your soccer background help you in hoops?
Nash: In soccer you have to see where everybody is all at once. In basketball it’s called court sense. You really need it as a point guard, and for me it started in soccer. And there’s something else: Since you can’t use your hands in soccer, you find creative ways to get the ball to the right spot. Switching to basketball made ballhandling a lot easier. I could use my hands! it was almost like cheating
--
Playboy: Payton was called the Glove, for his tight defense. Do other players call him that?
Nash: That’s fan vernacular. Most of his friends call him G.P. or Gary.
Playboy: How about you? You don’t like the nickname Wolerine.
Nash: Most guys call me Nashy or Steve-o.
Playboy: Are there any nicknames guys actually use?
Nash: Kein Garnett is Big Ticket. Allen Iverson’s the Answer, but I would never, ever call him that. I call him Allen. And if I saw Stephon Marbury, I wouldn’t say, “I ran into Starbury the other day,” because I’d sound like a total cheeseball.
--
Playboy: Did you call him K.J., like everyone else?
Nash: We called him K.
Playboy: A nickname for a nickname.
Nash: Yeah, you want to get it down to one syllable if possible. Shawn Marion is Matrix because his game has special effects, so we call him Trix.
--
Playboy: You’re fierce for a Canadian.
Nash: We’re a pretty laid-back country.
Playboy: Here’s a joke: What does a Canadian say when you step on his foot?
Nash: Okay, what?
Playboy: He says, “Excuse me.”
Nash: That’s not a joke. That’s true. But you can be laid-back in life and fierce in your profession.
--
With Dirk it was like telepathy.
Playboy: You two are Western Conference rivals now. Does he take it easy on you if you come through the lane?
Nash: No. There are some hard elbows out there. I expect Shaq would be at the top of the list for elbow power. He’s a strong man. I’ve avoided his elbows, but Karl Malone got me good. One of his elbows bent back my front teeth. It took six or seven sessions in the dentist’s chair to fix that.
Playboy: Did you haze rookies? Does that still go on?
Nash: We make the rookies sing a song or carry our luggage. When I was a rookie in Phoenix, A.C. Green would kick the balls around at practice and say, “Rookie, go pick ‘em up.”
Playboy: Green was religious- the league’s most famous virgin. He didn’t make you all become virgins?
Nash: Well, you can’t reverse virginity.
--
Playboy: How much game tape do you study?
Nash: I’ll watach 10 minutes of tape, but it gets old. I mean, who wants to be some kind of basketball machine? I put a lot into the game when we’re playing- mentally and physically. When the game’s over, I want to think about something else. I operate better that way. Some aspects of the pro game are no fun- the travel and the media demands- which is why I turn down the vast majority of media requests. But the game itself, when you’re out there playing with your teammates, that as good as it gets. I still love to play as much as when I was a kid.
Playboy: Which would you rather have, an assist or a three-pointer?
Nash: An assist. It involves more than one person.
Playboy: You hate to pick up your dribble-to stop dribbling- and have to pass or shoot. Why?
Nash: Picking up your dribble does the defense a favor. You can’t go by them anymore; they can smother you. But if you keep your dribble alive, they have to constantly adjust. It’s like in soccer- you want to keep moving forward, keep the pressure on.
--
Playboy: Michael Jordan used to taunt other players- he’d hit a jumper and then say, “You want to see it again?” Who talks the most now?
Nash: Guys don’t talk now. They yell to teammates but won’t taunt an opponent, probably because there would be fights. Everybody takes things so personally. That’s true in the culture, too. People are too sensitive, too easily offended.
--
Nash: We’re all under that big entertainment umbrella.
Playboy: Give us an example.
Nash: We can’t swear anymore. As of this year, it’s a technical foul. The league wnts us to be as presentable as possible. And this can affect games- you get a technical and a $1,000 fine.
Playboy: You could Cubanize: You could say, “I don’t care what it costs. **** it- I’m for free speech!”
Nash: You have to pick your spots. I’d rather take that $1,000 than give it to the man.
--
Playboy: What has been the best part of your MVP run in Phoenix?
Nash: My teammates. We’ve had a great time. There’s real chemistry on this team: jokes, friendships. For me, that’s what lasts. You don’t necessarily remember games, baskets and plays. You remember the bus, the plane, the locker room and being with your teammates. That’s what makes it fun- that and the minutes on the floor.
Playboy: With you, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix has three super-Suns. Pick a winner in this year’s NBA finals.
Nash: I’m not psychic; there are a lot of factors. We’ve got to be healthy. Amare came into the season after missing a year, and our challenge was to work him back into the group. Now we hae to match up against the best the league can throw at us. Winning in the NBA is not a simple equation, so I’m not predicting. But even if we don’t win, we’ll be fun to watch.
http://jensfreethrows.wordpress.com/2007/04/21/steve-nash-playboy-interview-in-full/
Give you something to read before the big game
A few parts I liked:
Playboy: The media guide says that you’re six-foot-three. How big a lie is that?
Nash: I’m six-two. I’m not growing any taller, and at my age I can’t just play defense all summer, which is the best way to improve-to guard guys. I tried to get a little stronger and quicker last summer, but there aren’t enough hours in the day, not enough recovery hours, for me to use up my body that way. My being healthy is a bigger priority for our team than my defense.
--
Playboy: Your Mavs teammate Finley said you were the coolest guy in the league. He called you Wolverine for the way you slice and dice defenses and for your Hugh Jackman-like effect on the ladies.
Nash: I think he was joking.
Playboy: Female fans held up signs that said MARRY ME, NASH. How much fun was it to be the NBA’s most eligible bachelor?
Nash: Any young guy with money has a shot at a nice bachelor lifestyle. The NBA’s no different. You’ve got the most opportunities to meet women in the big cities: New York, L.A., Chicago and Miami- that’s a fascinating town. But what do I know? I’m a father of two.
Playboy: Not until two years ago. Any tips on fending off NBA groupies?
Nash: the usual image of groupies lounging in hotel lobbies- I never saw that. The groupie knows where players go in a particular town, which restaurant or bar, and goes there looking for them.
Playboy: Ever meet one you could relate to- a well-read, politically aware groupie?
Nash: Nah. I’d remember that. Those don’t grow on trees.
--
Playboy: Let’s fast-break through your formative years. Born in South Africa, moved with your family to British Columbia, where you grew up playing soccer.
Nash: The first word that I ever said was goal!! But all my friends in eighth grade loved basketball, so I switched. It was an exciting, romantic time for the game, and I was swept up in it. The Showtime Lakers, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and my favorite player, Isiah Thomas.
--
Playboy: Did your soccer background help you in hoops?
Nash: In soccer you have to see where everybody is all at once. In basketball it’s called court sense. You really need it as a point guard, and for me it started in soccer. And there’s something else: Since you can’t use your hands in soccer, you find creative ways to get the ball to the right spot. Switching to basketball made ballhandling a lot easier. I could use my hands! it was almost like cheating
--
Playboy: Payton was called the Glove, for his tight defense. Do other players call him that?
Nash: That’s fan vernacular. Most of his friends call him G.P. or Gary.
Playboy: How about you? You don’t like the nickname Wolerine.
Nash: Most guys call me Nashy or Steve-o.
Playboy: Are there any nicknames guys actually use?
Nash: Kein Garnett is Big Ticket. Allen Iverson’s the Answer, but I would never, ever call him that. I call him Allen. And if I saw Stephon Marbury, I wouldn’t say, “I ran into Starbury the other day,” because I’d sound like a total cheeseball.
--
Playboy: Did you call him K.J., like everyone else?
Nash: We called him K.
Playboy: A nickname for a nickname.
Nash: Yeah, you want to get it down to one syllable if possible. Shawn Marion is Matrix because his game has special effects, so we call him Trix.
--
Playboy: You’re fierce for a Canadian.
Nash: We’re a pretty laid-back country.
Playboy: Here’s a joke: What does a Canadian say when you step on his foot?
Nash: Okay, what?
Playboy: He says, “Excuse me.”
Nash: That’s not a joke. That’s true. But you can be laid-back in life and fierce in your profession.
--
With Dirk it was like telepathy.
Playboy: You two are Western Conference rivals now. Does he take it easy on you if you come through the lane?
Nash: No. There are some hard elbows out there. I expect Shaq would be at the top of the list for elbow power. He’s a strong man. I’ve avoided his elbows, but Karl Malone got me good. One of his elbows bent back my front teeth. It took six or seven sessions in the dentist’s chair to fix that.
Playboy: Did you haze rookies? Does that still go on?
Nash: We make the rookies sing a song or carry our luggage. When I was a rookie in Phoenix, A.C. Green would kick the balls around at practice and say, “Rookie, go pick ‘em up.”
Playboy: Green was religious- the league’s most famous virgin. He didn’t make you all become virgins?
Nash: Well, you can’t reverse virginity.
--
Playboy: How much game tape do you study?
Nash: I’ll watach 10 minutes of tape, but it gets old. I mean, who wants to be some kind of basketball machine? I put a lot into the game when we’re playing- mentally and physically. When the game’s over, I want to think about something else. I operate better that way. Some aspects of the pro game are no fun- the travel and the media demands- which is why I turn down the vast majority of media requests. But the game itself, when you’re out there playing with your teammates, that as good as it gets. I still love to play as much as when I was a kid.
Playboy: Which would you rather have, an assist or a three-pointer?
Nash: An assist. It involves more than one person.
Playboy: You hate to pick up your dribble-to stop dribbling- and have to pass or shoot. Why?
Nash: Picking up your dribble does the defense a favor. You can’t go by them anymore; they can smother you. But if you keep your dribble alive, they have to constantly adjust. It’s like in soccer- you want to keep moving forward, keep the pressure on.
--
Playboy: Michael Jordan used to taunt other players- he’d hit a jumper and then say, “You want to see it again?” Who talks the most now?
Nash: Guys don’t talk now. They yell to teammates but won’t taunt an opponent, probably because there would be fights. Everybody takes things so personally. That’s true in the culture, too. People are too sensitive, too easily offended.
--
Nash: We’re all under that big entertainment umbrella.
Playboy: Give us an example.
Nash: We can’t swear anymore. As of this year, it’s a technical foul. The league wnts us to be as presentable as possible. And this can affect games- you get a technical and a $1,000 fine.
Playboy: You could Cubanize: You could say, “I don’t care what it costs. **** it- I’m for free speech!”
Nash: You have to pick your spots. I’d rather take that $1,000 than give it to the man.
--
Playboy: What has been the best part of your MVP run in Phoenix?
Nash: My teammates. We’ve had a great time. There’s real chemistry on this team: jokes, friendships. For me, that’s what lasts. You don’t necessarily remember games, baskets and plays. You remember the bus, the plane, the locker room and being with your teammates. That’s what makes it fun- that and the minutes on the floor.
Playboy: With you, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix has three super-Suns. Pick a winner in this year’s NBA finals.
Nash: I’m not psychic; there are a lot of factors. We’ve got to be healthy. Amare came into the season after missing a year, and our challenge was to work him back into the group. Now we hae to match up against the best the league can throw at us. Winning in the NBA is not a simple equation, so I’m not predicting. But even if we don’t win, we’ll be fun to watch.
Last edited:
