NBA legend Steve Nash recently offered some insight on his failed NBA coaching debut with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets hired Nash to be the team’s head coach for the 2020-21 season — Brooklyn’s first with a healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
But despite coaching a Nets core that eventually included former MVP James Harden, Brooklyn never made it past the second round under Nash’s tutelage.
Nash spoke to Eurohoops’ Cesare Milanti over the weekend during the “Night of the Dragon” event, which was an exhibition game to celebrate Nash’s former teammate Goran Dragic’s retirement.
In his interview with Lilanti, the 50-year-old touched on his time with the Nets. Nash admitted that he wasn’t planning on coaching but Brooklyn offered him a “unique situation” to steer the ship for a star-studded roster.
The two-time NBA MVP admitted that a “huge component” of his job was “managing personalities,” whether it be players, coaches or members of the front office. He also pointed to players having much more power in today’s NBA.
Nash also added that he was “surprised” by how little contact he was actually able to have with his players.
“I was surprised when I coached, you’re not in the team that much,” said Nash. “You have five minutes with players before the game, at halftime, and after the game. Those are the only times when you address the team. I wanted to connect with every player individually. It’s important to build a culture and an environment where people believe and see them be their best. You need to feel that you want them to become the best version of themselves.”
The Nets fired Nash just seven games into his third season. He finished with a 94-67 record.
There were reports that Irving was at odds with Nash toward the end of the latter’s tenure with the Nets.
Nash developed a reputation during his playing career as one of the best on-court leaders of his era. But based on Nash’s account of his Nets stint, coaching is a different beast entirely.
