"I've never seen the league be kind of fearful of a player" - How Steve Nash learned Michael Jordan was the most intimidating player in the NBA
Michael Jordan was always a big name in the NBA, especially for fans who grew up in the mid-1980s and most of the 1990s. As a basketball fan and later player, Steve Nash watched MJ, but he also learned the phenomenon of Jordan being an intimidating presence for his opponents.
Nash knew Mike was a superstar based on the games he saw growing up. After getting into the NBA, he observed firsthand that players were legitimately scared when playing against MJ. He had a few games against Mr. Air from 1996 to 1998, where he saw Jordan at his best.
“Playing against him, the one thing that I think that he was unlike any other player I’ve played against is that there was a real fear playing against him,” Nash said on All The Smoke. “I’ve never seen the League be kind of fearful of a player or have that much reverence for a player. That was a different feeling when you’re playing Mike. There was such a seriousness, a competitiveness, and fire in him.”
Jordan was dominant in the games between the two
Since Nash entered the NBA in 1996, he played against Jordan only four times from 1996 to 1998. However, that was a dominant run for MJ because he and the Chicago Bulls won three games, while Phoenix only won once.
During those four games, Jordan averaged 31 points, while Nash scored eight points and dished out 3.5 assists per game. Those games proved MJ was worth the hype in Nash’s eyes and confirmed that players struggled to play against Jordan because he had an intimidating aura.
When Jordan returned in 2001, the duel was more balanced because Nash was more comfortable in the NBA. However, Jordan still put up a fight, scoring 21 points in December 2001 and even 30 points in February 2003.
Mike was also impressed with Nash
In 1998, Jordan praised Nash and the young Suns because he saw potential in them. It was rare to get compliments from Michael, but Nash had the potential to shine and blossom into a phenomenal point guard.
That moment happened in the 2000s because Nash found his comfort zone as the playmaker for fast-paced offensive systems with the Dallas Mavericks.
After ending his tenure with the Mavs, where he had already established himself as one of the best floor generals in the NBA, his second stint with Phoenix in the mid-2000s was his prime. Nash was the undisputed best playmaker in the league, spearheading the seven-second or less offense with his vision and bravery, making the most difficult passes, and putting his teammates in the best position to be successful.
Nash learned from his experiences playing against different players throughout his career. He experienced the end of the Jordan era in the late 1990s but also played against superstars like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and even LeBron James. Michael is arguably the standout for Nash, but he encountered impressive players throughout his HOF career.
