Steve Nash: MVP Or Has-Been?

In sports, age does not mean a thing; it is all a matter of ability. Whether you are a 38 year-old athlete who has "lost their game" or a 20 year-old hotshot out of college, your competition days are not over until retirement. Steve Nash, a 34 year-old NBA all-star who plays for the Phoenix Suns, is an athlete who fits this criteria. Is Steve Nash finished writing his legendary legacy?

Nash won two straight Most Valuable Player Awards in the '04-05 and '05-06 seasons. He averaged around 17 points and and 11 assists per game during that two year span. In 2004 he was 29 years old, and in 2006 he was 31 years old... Not too old, right? But his teammates were a help, too: he had Shawn Marion scoring around 20 points, Amare Stoudemire putting up 26 and nine boards.

Nash started playing basketball when he was in his early teens. He predicted to his mother that he would play professional basketball and become a star someday. His great vision of the court came with experience on the soccer field and hockey rinks. In high school at St. Michael's University School, during his senior year, nearly averaged a triple-double. He would later attend Santa Clara University in California.

During his freshman year, he led the Broncos to an upset over the number two-seeded Arizona Wildcats, hitting six straight free throws during the last 30 seconds of the game. His junior year ended with him winning the Western Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year Award (POY). He questioned whether or not to go pro, but decided not to. His senior year, he won the WCC POY, and became Santa Clara's career-leading assist leader, free throw percentage leader, and three-point shots made/attempted leader.

His number 11 was retired by Santa Clara University, becoming the first ever to receive that recognition.

The six-time NBA all-star was voted by ESPN the ninth best point guard of all-time. Legends have noticed his game: Bill Russell stated, "I think, on the world stage, he's one of our great athletes in all sports... I'm a big fan. The two MVPs he got, he deserved. Part of the reason that he's so good and so effective is that the guys like playing with him. He creates an atmosphere where they win games."

This season ('09-10), he's still putting up solid numbers with 17 points and an even 11 assists this season. He's showing the fans and the rest of the NBA how to really play the game. With his double-double average, he is continuing his quest for a third MVP award.

If he continues to play the game the way he is, he may be arguably the best small guard of all-time.