The Canadians
A visit with some of the outstanding individuals who
make our country proud
Kathryn Engel
This issue: STEVE NASH
The Canadian who just wrapped up the National Basketball Association season with his Phoenix Suns’ dramatic and fiery loss to the Los Angeles Lakers is known as much for his compassion off the court as he is for his tenacity and focused precision in his basketball career since being the only Canadian to ever be selected as high as the 15th pick in the NBA. Steve Nash has lived up to that billing, going on to become a two-time MVP and six-time all-star.
Born in South Africa, raised in Canada by British parents and living in the U.S. with his Paraguayan wife Alejandra Amarilla Nash and their twin daughters, Nash exemplifies global consciousness – both in his charity work and his business interests.
His Steve Nash Foundation, based in B.C., was awarded the Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy in 2008 for its contribution to underserved populations of children in British Columbia, Arizona, and the country of Paraguay. And at 35, while his pro sports career may be nearing its peak, his entrepreneurial pursuits are only starting to rev up. His newly-formed Steve Nash Enterprises is made up of about a dozen ventures as diverse as film production to part ownership of the Vancouver Whitecaps and even skincare. Nash is a recipient of the Order of Canada, has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, and has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. On the heels of the NBA playoffs, Nash flew to Johannesburg for a World Cup commentary gig, in-between attending his annual Showdown in Chinatown charity event in New York City, where Slick World caught up with him.
KE: First, welcome, Steve, very honoured to be able to pay tribute to your work on and off the court here in this format. We have to start with how much pure delight this opportunity to file World Cup reports to cbs from South Africa must be. is this a dream come true for you?
SN: It’s my third straight World Cup and as a lover of football it’s such an experience to go to the event. Outside the matches the fans are what make a World Cup special. People from all over the world wearing their colours descend on a country for weeks and the interaction between the fans and the mixing of cultures is what’s most memorable.
KE: for those of us in Canada watching you against the Lakers, I think the whole event shifted for us at home from one of a series of outstanding basketball to a metaphor of someone embodied by spirit. Watching you play, it is like watching someone who has become completely up to speed with who they are by following their bliss. What does the experience of being in play mean to you, how would you describe it?
SN: I’ve been playing so long now that I realize the feelings I have playing the game go in cycles. Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s easy and everything in between. Lately I think I’ve realized the joy in playing. I’ve always competed because it’s a habit, but to enjoy my teammates and to realize the purity of competition as a member of a team was exceptional this season.
KE: How much of the moment of excellence in sport relies on the technique, and how much of it is a mental game?
SN: Playing against the best in the world and being one of the last teams standing requires great technique, physical ability and a winning mentality. Almost everyone at the highest level has the technique and physical ability. What separates them is the mentality.
KE: What do you do to prepare for that moment, and how much of that preparation has to do with happiness and state of mind — i read recently that to ‘just get happy’ accounts for a larger part of acumen in all pursuits than action and skill and i thought it was a great question for someone known for excellence in sport.
SN: Everyone prepares for competition differently. I actually like to be happy because it means I’m relatively stress-free. The less stress you encounter the more free you are to perform and the less of a toll competition takes on you.
KE: This is a forum, this magazine, which celebrates canadian global entrepreneurialism – you are increasingly known as a successful (canadian!) entrepreneur – how would you compare your passion for business to that of basketball? what attracts you to entrepreneurialism?
SN: The entrepreneurial spirit is similar to being on a basketball team. You identify an opportunity, set goals, bring something new to the table and try and build the best chemistry among your coworkers to become greater together than the sum of your parts. Sounds fun to me.
KE: What have you learned from your life as an athlete including being raised in an athletic environment that has enhanced your business acumen?
SN: I think my career as an athlete, starting as a youngster, has taught me all my valuable lessons in life. The characteristics that I’ve been afforded have allowed me to be successful in sport, happy in life and open to new possibilities. The ability to work with people and to subdue your own personal wants and needs for the greater experience of a group are all lessons learned in sport that have served me well in business.
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