The Brooklyn Nets shocked the basketball world on Thursday when they announced the signing of Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash as the team's new head coach.
Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated has already been able to reach out to Nash, and one of the first things the new coach spoke about is his relationship with Brooklyn's two superstars in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
New Nets head coach Steve Nash has the "confidence" of Kevin Durant and the backing of Kyrie Irving after having a relationship with both for years. On KD, Nash told @TheUndefeated: "He’s one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen and to have his confidence is really important.”
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 3, 2020
Steve Nash spoke in more detail with regards to how he envisions his coach-to-player relationship with Irving, who like himself, is also a point guard:
"There is a respect and admiration there for me.For me & Ky, our relationship is important.He is the (PG) & I’m the coach & I’m thrilled I get the opportunity to know him better and to understand him, how he plays & what he sees & be here to help him refine his gifts,"Nash to UND
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 3, 2020
This announcement came out of nowhere for the Nets. There were a lot of other big names in the market, with the likes of Tyronn Lue and Jason Kidd all linked to the job opening in Brooklyn. Even interim coach Jacque Vaughn was rumored to be in a position to have his status upgraded to a more permanent basis, but in the end, the Nets front office opted to swing for the fences with Nash.
This is a bold move, to say the least, with Nash presenting absolutely zero experience as a head coach in the NBA. The former back-to-back MVP winner has been with the Golden State Warriors since 2015 in a consulting capacity, but he never held a title as a coach.
The first question on everybody's mind was probably how Nash would get along with Durant and Irving. Keeping these two happy is undeniably one of, if not Brooklyn's top priorities, so it is highly likely that both guys signed off on the Nash hiring even before the front office made it official.
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