After retired guard Stephon Marbury declared that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now the greatest Canadian basketball player of all time, SGA pushed back on the comment.
While he graciously accepted the compliment, SGA admitted that he has not yet achieved enough to hold such a prestigious title.
Instead, he firmly believes that Steve Nash rightfully deserves the recognition as the greatest Canadian basketball player of all time.
SGA remarked, “Steve is still ahead of me. I’m going to try to catch him, but he’s still ahead of me.”
Nash, who played for the Phoenix Suns during two separate stints, amassed an impressive list of accolades throughout his Hall of Fame career. Including two MVP seasons with the Suns, Nash was named an All-Star eight times, made the All-NBA team seven times, and led the league in assists five times.
His most outstanding season came in 2006, where he averaged an incredible 11.6 assists per game along with 18.6 points per game on a .613 effective field goal percentage.
During Nash’s Hall of Fame ceremony, Canada Basketball president Michele O’Keefe said in a statement, “From a kid growing up in Victoria to ‘Captain Canada,’ on behalf of all Canadian basketball fans, congratulations Steve on this remarkable accomplishment.”
While SGA may be on track to have a career similar to Nash’s, with only six seasons under his belt, it is far too early to declare him the greatest Canadian basketball player of all time.
Born in Ontario, Shai, at 25 years old, is currently on pace to average over 30 points per game for the second straight season. Last year, he finished fifth in MVP voting and was named to the All-NBA team.
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