Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali's rejection of Santa Clara University allowed Steve Nash to become a college basketball star and an NBA legend.
Mahershala Ali is known worldwide as one of the finest actors of his generation, while Steve Nash is remembered as one of the best basketball players of his generation.
However, a fateful decision by Ali is what set them on their paths coming out of high school.
Ali was a D1 college basketball prospect coming out of high school as a standout guard at Mt. Eden. He fielded multiple D1 offers but wound up committing to the Saint Mary's Gaels, rejecting a scholarship offer from the Santa Clara Broncos, who filled their guard hole by recruiting Nash.
Ali was a guest on the Mind The Game podcast hosted by Nash and LeBron James, where he revealed the story of how he rejected a scholarship offer to play basketball for Santa Clara University in 1992. That offer would then go to Nash and be the launch point of his legendary NBA career.
"I'm not going to Santa Clara. I'm going to Saint Mary's. It was a no-brainer… Four years later, this m—— [Steve Nash] is getting drafted. And you know what? Correct me if I'm wrong, he had one scholarship offer in the United States. I had that offer first. I turned it down"
Santa Clara was the only D1 offer that Nash received in the United States, so if Ali hadn't turned it down, he might not have gotten the opportunity that changed his life.
Ali didn't wind up being an elite college player, averaging 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.6 assists across 97 Division I games over four seasons. He fell in love with acting while in college, and by the end of his time, that was his primary focus as he completed his basketball dream of being a D1 player.
For Nash, it was the start of a glittering career that saw him become a two-time NBA MVP, an eight-time All-Star, a seven-time All-NBA selection, and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Nash spent four seasons at Santa Clara on the scholarship that Ali turned down, averaging 14.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, being the West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year twice, and leading Santa Clara to multiple NCAA Tournament upset wins.
Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Allsport/Getty Images
Nash's No. 11 jersey was retired by the University as he left as their all-time leader in assists. He was drafted No. 15 in the 1996 NBA Draft, averaging 14.3 points and 8.5 assists over his NBA career. While he never became a champion, he's still remembered as one of the greatest in his position ever.
Ali is a two-time Oscar winner and was the first Muslim actor to win an Academy Award for his work on Moonlight in 2016. He's featured across multiple iconic movies and franchises like The Green Book, The Hunger Games, True Detective, and more.
Few modern actors can replicate his accomplishments in what's been a thriving career. He wasn't meant to be an NBA star like Nash, and his decision not to go to Santa Clara might have been a butterfly moment in NBA history.
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