Steve Nash surpasses Oscar Robertson in career assists - NBA Update
Phoenix Suns talisman Steve Nash has cemented his grounds to go into the Hall of Fame. He had 13 assists in the game against Denver Nuggets on Saturday, allowing him to take his career total up to 9,897. With that, he surpassed
the legendary Oscar Robertson, who was 5th all-time on NBA’s assists leader.
These two players are a class in their own with unmatched achievements. Nash at the age of 38 is surpassing such milestones which others can just dream about.
Mark Jackson, Golden State Warriors coach, who was also one of the premier point guards of his time, lavished Nash with praise upon the incredible achievement;
"It's a testament to his greatness and his longevity," said Jackson, who is Golden State's coach. "He's an all-time great. Not just guard or point guard, but player. It's incredible when you think about his career and how he continues
to find a way to get it done at this stage. He truly is a joy to watch and he adds to that incredible group -- minus me."
Nash aka ‘poetry in motion’ changed the perception of the point guards in his league. His happy go lucky style of play is the one, most of the present NBA point guards saw growing up and it’s no surprise that NBA is now often termed
as a point guard league. The two time MVP is averaging 10.8 assists in this season (best in the league) while his career assists average stand at 8.6.
He was humbled and jubilant after achieving the milestone.
"It's incredible," Nash said of passing Robertson. "I never thought I'd be in this position. To play as long as I have and play in the NBA, period, and then to be in the company of those guys for passing balls is amazing”.
He has all the reasons to feel elated as not many players can even imagine surpassing the legendry (The Big O) Robertson.
The 6 ft 5 in one guard played for Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks from 1960 to 1974 and in his 14 professional seasons, was decorated with All-Star title for 12 times.
After surpassing the Big O, Nash has only four stalwarts left in his way as far as the assists are concerned - John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (11,842), Mark Jackson (10,334) and Magic Johnson (10,141). He has already tallied
9,897 and with him willing to play for at least three more years, it is more than likely that Nash will end up as the best distributor ever to grace the league.
Tags: