Nearly a month ago, Hall of Fame basketball player Steve Nash reached out to Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander simply to tell him how much he admires his game.
Now, they are the only two Canadians to ever win the NBA MVP award.
Nash spoke with media on Thursday to publicly congratulate Gilgeous-Alexander on the honour. The 51-year-old Nash, who is from Victoria, said it was "amazing" to see all that the Hamilton native has accomplished this season.
"It's a very special moment for me, I genuinely get super excited to see his success," said Nash on a video call. "He's really probably my favourite player to watch, and I just hope he continues on this trajectory and continues to rack up seasons like this and represent himself and his country and his team the way he's been doing it."
Gilgeous-Alexander got 71 first-place votes and 29 second-place votes to win the award Wednesday night. Denver Nuggets centre and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is from Serbia, got the other 29 first-place votes and the other 71 second-place votes.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP from Greece, got 88 of the 100 possible third-place votes.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists and five rebounds per game this season, leading Oklahoma City to a 68-14 record. The Thunder outscored teams by 12.9 points per game, the biggest margin in league history.
"I think he's just rock solid in everything he does and his approach," said Nash, who won back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006 while a point guard for the Phoenix Suns. "If there was any advice, it would just be stick to it.
"He's got an incredible process and desire and work ethic, incredible character and that's what's gotten him here."
Gilgeous-Alexander is the first player born in Canada to earn the honour. Nash, who was born in South Africa and moved with his family to Canada as an infant, noted that the last seven NBA MVPs have been from outside the United States.
"For it to truly be a global sport, that's the way it should look, right?" said Nash. "It shouldn't just be Americans all the time.
"The fact that people are succeeding from all the different countries and backgrounds, I think is fantastic. I think it's only making the game greater, it's only making the game more global."
Rowan Barrett, the general manager of Canada's senior men's basketball team, said that when Nash won his first MVP in 2005, his influence in Canada went beyond basketball.
"There was a cultural impact. I saw kids that were doing their hair like his, that old kind of English mop like John Lennon or Paul McCartney," said Barrett in an interview on April 2. "I remember seeing it, not only in Canada, but I remember seeing it almost anywhere I went.
"Shai's a man of style, he really is, so I'm also interested to see if there's a cultural impact with him as well."
Nash led the league in assists in 2005 and 2006 as his Suns revolutionized how basketball is played at its highest level with their uptempo style that emphasized getting up the court in eight seconds or less, a pace that's now considered the standard in the NBA.
When Gilgeous-Alexander accepted his award on Wednesday night he cited Nash as an inspiration.
"He set the foundation. He was the first Canadian basketball player I knew of," said Gilgeous-Alexander. "Without seeing guys from Canada go to the NBA, it wouldn't have been as much of a dream as it was for us as kids growing up.
"To be in the conversation with a guy like that, and what he's meant to not only basketball, but to the country of Canada, has been special."
Nash was flattered by Gilgeous-Alexander's words but said it's hard to remember how much of an impact he had on Canadian basketball at the time.
"I'm pretty old now, so my memories are fallible and it was a long time ago," joked Nash. "It always gives me chills to think about the reception I get from Canadians playing in the Olympics or having success at the NBA level.
"I think it's always one of the great sources of pride, similar to when Shai acknowledges that I had perhaps an impact, or the other guys in the national team that I had on them, it's a pretty incredible feeling."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
