Steve Nash on Kyrie Irving: ‘Our relationship is important’

[jwplayer UDQmnu1f-z6KDnl0B]

Steve Nash appeared in his first NBA game four years after Kyrie Irving was born. Yet, the two crossed paths as players in the NBA after the now-Brooklyn Nets point guard was drafted No. 1 overall in 2011.

Even though Nash was on the back end of his career and soon to retire, he still created fits for Irving.

In an interview with GQ back in 2012, Irving said Nash was the toughest guy in the league to guard:

Everybody says, ‘He’s old,’ but you don’t play against somebody that has 90 screen-and-rolls just for him. Just imagine going through 90 screen-and-rolls and they’re just for Steve Nash. He had 16 assists against us. That’s ridiculous. It’s tiring and I hated it.

In a 2012 interview with GQ, Kyrie Irving called Steve Nash the toughest matchup of his season because of the number of screens he had to fight through to defend him.

"He had 16 assists against us. That's ridiculous. It's tiring and I hated it." pic.twitter.com/4BOzdEH8Oy

— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) September 3, 2020

After being announced as Brooklyn’s next head coach, Nash told Marc Spears of The Undefeated he has “respect and admiration” for Irving, adding:

Ky and I have history, not only being two point guards, but he is one of my favorite players to watch. He and I spent a couple days in the gym, I believe it was 2015, in New York City working out. There is a respect and admiration there for me. For me and Ky, our relationship is important. He is the point guard and I’m the coach, and I’m thrilled I get the opportunity to know him better and to understand him, how he plays and what he sees and be here to help him refine his gifts.