NBA Draft: Redrafting the 1996 NBA draft class

With the 3rd overall pick, the Vancouver Grizzlies select Steve Nash

Steve Nash receives the Maurice Podoloff MVP trophy in 2006 from commissioner David Stern

Steve Nash is one of those players who revolutionized the league. It was his availability that allowed Mike D'Antoni to run the Seven Seconds or Less offense during his prime years with the Suns. Nash was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the 15th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. He rode the bench during his initial years in the league before getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks in his 3rd season.

He made his first All-Star team in 2002 with the Mavs, but the duo of Nash and Nowitzki was split up when the Suns offered him more money during free agency in the summer of 2004. Nash joined young teammates Shawn Marion, Amar'e Stoudemire and Joe Johnson with coach D'Antoni to run the fast-paced, run-and-gun SSOL offense with great results as they finished the season with the best record in the league. Nash averaged over 10 assists per game for the first time in his life, and combined with his efficient shooting, this enabled him to win the 2004-05 MVP award.

Phoenix played in the same vein during the 2005-06 season despite losing Joe Johnson in free agency and Stoudemire to injury, once again making the Conference Finals before losing to the Dallas Mavericks. Nash averaged 10 assists per game for 6 out of 7 seasons from 2004 to 2011. He earned a final move to Los Angeles to play alongside Kobe, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard, but injuries scuppered his final professional season before retirement.

Nash would be a perfect player in the modern NBA which emphasizes 3-point shooting. He has five 50-40-90 seasons (most in NBA history), in addition to several campaigns when he fell short in one category. Nash's #13 jersey has been raised to the rafters by the Phoenix Suns, and he will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year.