Steve Nash had a witty response to Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson as a guest of “All The Smoke.”

Barnes threw Nash a softball question with Jackson's help, but neither of them were prepared for the two-time MVP's answer:

Barnes: “Talk to us about your mental, physical preparation to have that kind of longevity.”

Jackson: “He was just crafty, he had to be crafty.”

Nash: “Crafty… that's another word for white.”

Well… that escalated quickly.

Steve Nash isn't wrong, however. White athletes are often described as “crafty,” “smart,” and “diligent,” while their African American counterparts see qualitative like “athletic,” “explosive,” and the like.

Nash wasn't the fastest or biggest point guard on the court, but his ability to see the floor with unparalleled vision and his nifty ability to dribble through tight spots and put the ball in hard-to-reach places made him an elite player at his position.

The Canadian didn't win any titles, but Nash was a back-to-back MVP and the consummate dime maestro of his era, establishing the pick-and-roll mastery of the early 2000s.

There's nothing wrong with saying he was crafty, but to leave it there would be a disservice to his true mastery at the position. Nash was an artist with the ball and hard worker off the court, putting thousands of gym hours shooting, dribbling, and pulling the string to some of his teammates in practice.

The former point god has always been keen of the perception of white athletes in the league, but he surely takes no offense to the “crafty” description, even if he has to rib Jackson and Barnes for it.