NBA legend Nash: Spurs a way of life for me

Basketball legend Steve Nash claims Tottenham Hotspur is in his blood after training with the squad at Hotspur Way this week.

Nash was twice named as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player – in 2005 and 2006 – during a storied 19-year professional career.

He was an eight-time NBA All-Star and five-time NBA assists leader while playing for the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers.

Photo credit: Getty Images

The South African-born Canadian reached the very top of the sport but is adamant that football, and more specifically Spurs, has always been his first love.

“My dad grew up across the park from White Hart Lane, my granddad was also a Spurs fan and when you are born into that, it’s just a way of life,” said Nash, who first trained with the Spurs squad back in August 1999. “It’s in my blood.

“You wake up and wake up to see what is going on in ‘Spurs land’ and from across the pond it’s so easy to follow the team now through social media and the internet and cable TV, it’s even better to be a fan now.

“When I was a kid, you’d have to hope it was a Spurs game on in Canada at 5am in the morning on the west coast, I’d get up with my kit on with my dad. Nowadays, we can get it all.

“I can see every Spurs match in the Premier League and Champions League. I get to see a ton of games and soccer has come so far in the States.

“I came into the NBA 20 years ago and it was hard to get a game in the States but now you get every Premier League game plus Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Italian games, MLS, Mexico. The game has exploded.

“It’s a fantastic time to be able to watch, especially with the renaissance of this famous old beautiful club as one of the top clubs in the world.”