The 1996 NBA Draft saw a few noteworthy names coming into the league. The draft class was the 50th to be welcomed into the NBA. Yesterday, June 26, marked the 24th anniversary of the 1996 draft. Along with Kobe Bryant, there were other great players who entered the league through the draft. The Phoenix Suns used their 15th overall pick to select a young Canadian guard. He went on to become a Hall of Famer and his name is Steve Nash. 

Nash recently joined Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on All the Smoke podcast, where he relived his draft and his rookie experience. “Back then if you were a rookie, you got treated like a rookie,” Nash said on the podcast.

Steve Nash on getting in through the 1996 NBA Draft 

Host Matt Barnes narrated a brief list of talents that we saw emerging from the 1996 draft class. Steve Nash came in as the #15 pick and clearly exceeded expectations. He is one of the four players from his draft class to earn a Hall of Fame status.

Here is what Nash remembers about the 1996 draft night. “It was one of the best times of my life,” he began. “It is like the draft kind of justified all the hours. Getting drafted in the first round like really was the reward, was the moment of like, ‘Okay, all that time, all that energy and hustle and all the tough days, the days you didn’t want to do it, you know this is the reward.’”

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“It was a special time,” Nash continued. “At that time I knew it was a talented draft for sure, but you don’t know in context like where everyone’s going to go on, what careers they are going to have. You have no idea. But I knew there was a lot of personalities, a lot of talent, and looking back, it is incredible to see the careers that so many of my classmates had.”

Nash on his rookie year with the Phoenix Suns

Coming in as a rookie in the 90s wasn’t easy. You had to endure a lot, especially the antics of the veterans. It is a part of the system that young players come across. But the two-time MVP learnt a lot as a point guard in his first year in the league.

“I learned a lot from those vets,” Nash said, speaking about his Suns teammates who taught him to survive in the league. “Kevin Johnson, Hot-Rod, you know Hot-Rod Williams Rest in Peace, Wayman Tisdale, Rest in Peace, guys that were just good pros, supportive, taught me a lot.”

Nash also reminisced about learning under great players. “I was fortunate and I came in behind Kevin [Johnson] and then they traded for Jason Kidd. I also got to play behind two great point guards and I learned a tremendous amount from those guys,” Nash revealed.