Steve Nash, a two-time NBA MVP and voted one of the league’s 75 greatest players of all time, is among a group of seven who will be inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.
Nash, from Saanich, will enter as part of the class of 2021 alongside Stewart Granger and Angela (Johnson) Straub.
Three-time NBA champion Rick Fox headlines the class of 2022 that also features Michèle Bélanger, John Bitove and Tony Simms.
Canada Basketball will hold the induction ceremony on July 10 in Toronto.
“To be enshrined in the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame is a great honour and each of this year’s inductees have made a lasting and unique impact at all levels of the sport,” Michael Bartlett, president and CEO of Canada Basketball, said in a statement.
Nash suited up for Canada internationally for more than 10 years, most famously leading the men’s team to the quarterfinals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It was the last time that Canada’s men qualified for an Olympics.
Nash was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Fox was among Canada’s first NBA stars. His 13-year career, split between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, included three straight NBA titles with L.A. from 2000-2002.
Bitove, who is going in as a builder, is the founder of Toronto Raptors and was instrumental in bringing the 1994 FIBA men’s world championship to Canada.
Bélanger has coached the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s program to 854 wins since taking over the team in 1979.
Granger was the first Black Canadian to be drafted into the NBA, chosen 24th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1983.
Straub represented Canada from 1972-77, where she competed in both the Pan Am Games and Olympics.
Simms represented the national men’s team for 10 years and was a key member of Canada’s gold medal-winning squad at the 1983 World University Games in Edmonton. He was also a key member of Canada’s 1984 Olympic team that finished fourth.
The Canadian Press
