Stephon Marbury Puts Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Ahead Of Steve Nash As Canada's Best NBA Player
Retired NBA player Steve Nash is in rare company when it comes to those who have won multiple MVPs in the regular season.
Nash is among the short list of 15 to accomplish it when he won the award back-to-back in 2005 and 2006 with the Phoenix Suns. Despite the accomplishments, he is still having a tough time being considered the greatest player from Canada.
On a recent appearance on the "Ball Don't Stop" podcast, he listed Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of Nash as the best Canadian player.
"He's the best basketball player from Canada," Marbury said of Gilgeous-Alexander.
Marbury knows a bit about NBA talent. He was a two-time All-Star during his career that spanned from 1996-2009 before becoming a basketball icon in China. At 25, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.1 points this season while helping the Thunder become one of the league's best teams. He is a starter in this year's All-Star game.
While Nash won two MVPs, some say he was mostly rewarded for team success. Marbury said Gilgeous-Alexander has done that while also putting up huge numbers.
"I think the thing that I'm going to continue to say about him is he's been consistent," Marbury said. "He's consistently doing what he's doing each and every night. There's no night that he's coming in where he's not performing at some type of level where he's creating opportunities for his teammates or himself or on defense. He's doing something give his team a chance to win every night that they stop on the basketball court."
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
