Courtesy of NBA.com
Steve Nash has all the skills needed to succeed at the professional level of his sport: vision, agility, an incredible feel for the game.
And oh yeah, he's pretty good at basketball, too.
In an interview with Lakers.com's Mike Trudell, the recetly-acquired point guard was quick to admit that the Beautiful Game has been vital to his basketball career.
"I didn't play basketball until I was 13," Nash said. "I wouldn't have been an NBA player if I didn't play soccer."
Nash joins an already soccer-crazed Laker squad that includes perennial All-Star and proud Barcelona fan Kobe Bryant, and actual Barcelona Basquet product Pau Gasol, who was in attendance to watch Spain win the Euros in Kiev on July 1.
Playing alongside offensive threats Bryant and Gasol, the NBA's fifth all-time assist leader will be poised to add to that total significantly. It's no coincidence that Nash is one of the best passers to ever play the game, and he credits his vision in large part to his soccer background.
"The ideas, the ability to see and anticipate, all of that is a part of my basketball game," Nash added. "It really was developed in soccer. It's been good to me in many ways."
