A legend from the Phoenix Suns was given a strong all-time ranking despite entering his prime later in his career.
Phoenix Suns Legend Earns Strong All-Time Ranking Despite 'Late Bloomer' Prime originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Phoenix Suns have had many legends play for their franchise and they are also watching one of their franchise’s best players continue to play for them now in Devin Booker, who is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.
While Booker still has many years left in his career, likely to all come in Phoenix due to him wanting to play his entire career with one franchise, other legends have also worn the orange and purple.
One of those players was Steve Nash who dominated the 2000s with the Suns and he was recognized as one of the NBA’s top 100 players on Bleacher Report’s list.
Bleacher Report ranked Nash No. 37 on their all-time list and mentioned that he could have been higher on it if he did not enter his prime later in his career.
“After leading some of the top era-adjusted offenses of all time with the Dallas Mavericks in 2002 and 2003, Nash landed in Phoenix and enjoyed one of the great late-bloomer primes in league history,” Bleacher Report’s NBA staff wrote. “He captained the “Seven Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns to elite scoring marks, winning back-to-back MVPs in his age-30 and age-31 campaigns. Nash’s four 50/40/90 seasons are the most in NBA history. Not bad for a guy who also ranks fifth in total assists.”
Of course, Nash had a successful six seasons with the Dallas Mavericks but after returning to the Suns in 2004, he became one of the league’s best players during his time.
In Phoenix, Nash won back-to-back MVP awards, though many will debate if he deserved them, and he also led the way for Mike D’Antoni’s offense.
During his career, Nash was a two-time MVP, eight-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA selection.
There is no doubt that Nash is one of the greatest point guards in league history thanks to his assist numbers and shooting efficiency but if he had entered his prime earlier in his career, he may be much higher on Bleacher Report’s list.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
