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"Football was my first love" - Steve Nash thought he could have made it as a pro soccer player
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- "Football was my first love" - Steve Nash thought he could have made it as a pro soccer player
Steve Nash is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the greatest pure point guards the game of basketball has ever seen. The man was a two-time MVP, deserved or not depending on who you ask, in an era when guys like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki were at their peak.
Nash helped revolutionize the iconic "Seven Seconds or Less" offense during his second stint with the Phoenix Suns and established himself as the engine behind one of the most entertaining teams of the 2000s. Along the way, he led the league in assists five times and cemented his place among the best floor generals ever.
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However, despite all the accolades and artistry on the hardwood, there was a slight possibility that we would never get the chance to witness any of it because of his intense love for another sport: soccer.
Soccer was his first love
Nash's love for soccer, or football as he calls it, runs deep. He has always been a massive fan of the sport and even believes he could have achieved something meaningful on a different pitch had he invested the same amount of time and energy into it.
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"The athlete in me thinks if I could have put all the energy I put into basketball into football, I could have made something of myself," the retired guard said in an interview with ESPN.
"At the same time, I have such a respect for world football and how good the players are. ... I would hate to disrespect anyone by saying I could have been a professional footballer, but you never know. I certainly put a lot of hours into basketball, so it would have been interesting to see if I could have made something of myself on the football pitch," he added.
Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to British parents, his Welsh mother and English father. However, when little Steve was just 18 months old, the family moved to Canada.
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The love for soccer, the sport that remains number one across much of the globe, was already running through the Nash household. His father had played professionally before eventually settling in Canada, and naturally, Steve grew up around the game.
As a matter of fact, Nash recalled that even some of his earliest memories revolved around soccer rather than the sport on which he would eventually leave such a deep mark. And his father had definitely something to do with that.
"It was my first love. My first word was 'Goal!' -- my dad made sure of that," he said with a proud smile. "Now, when I go home, I watch soccer; I am a massive fan."
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Unfortunately for soccer fans, and fortunately for basketball fans, Nash eventually decided that the NBA was the path he wanted to pursue.
Could Nash carve out the same level career?
After leading his team to the British Columbia AAA provincial championship, Nash earned a scholarship to Santa Clara University after impressing those who had the chance to watch him work out in person.
During his four years in California, Nash slowly started developing into the player fans remember today. The Suns selected him with the 15th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, and he later returned to help put the franchise firmly on the basketball map.
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While team success and a championship never really followed, Nash still built a resume that most players can only dream about. Two MVP awards, eight All-Star appearances and a Hall of Fame career speak for themselves.
While it is highly unlikely that those achievements could be replicated in a whole different sphere, basketball fans can certainly be thankful that "MVSteve" ultimately chose the hardwood over the green grass.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
