The Net’s (G)Nash-ing Teeth
Iconic Bronco alum sent packing by the Nets
Just hours before tip-off on the first of this month, news broke that the Brooklyn Nets had terminated the tenure of head coach and Santa Clara University alum, Steve Nash.
“The Brooklyn Nets and Head Coach Steve Nash have agreed to part ways,” reads the headline posted by the National Basketball Association.
Nash was a legend in his time with the Broncos. Standing at 6’3,” he led the league in assists and free-throw percentage multiple times in his career. He was drafted by the Suns in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft. In 2006, ESPN deemed him the 9th best point guard of all time.
From the get-go of his time with the Nets, Nash was under fire for his new coaching position. Despite having never coached before at any level, he was hired as the head coach for the 2020-21 season. The choice by general manager of the team, Sean Marks, to hire Nash – a white man – for the position over multiple experienced Black coaches sparked league-wide discussion and criticism, setting Nash at the center of the turmoil pre-pandemic.
Fast forward to 2022 and he is still under fire, but this time for poor results, though underlying tension and backtalk from the team has added to his struggle for success. Facing a poor record and constant drama, and with Marks in agreement of the choice, Nash made the decision to leave the head coach position.
On top of dealing with the manic figure that is Kyrie Irving, Nash faced a tough time in managing an NBA team that, on paper, should be spearheading the Eastern Conference.
With figures like Irving, Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons, Nash was expected to go all the way and deliver titles to Brooklyn – or at least be competing for them. However, a 2-6 record so far this season is the disappointing reality check for Nets fans.
“It was an amazing experience with many challenges that I’m incredibly grateful for,” Nash said in a statement on Twitter after news broke of his firing. “Family first and my family has found a home here and LOVES being a part of this beautiful experience. I wish the Nets all the success in the world and the Nash’s will be rooting for our team as they turn this season around.”
Theoretically, all press is good press – unless you’re the Nets. The problems in Brooklyn have been ever-growing, as their poor record compounds Kyrie Irving being mired in controversy. Irving, an infamous anti-vaxxer, is under fire once again – this time, for spewing hatred toward Jewish people and embracing an antisemitic documentary.
Irving posted a Tweet on October 27, linking the documentary, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake up Black America” – which has previously been criticized as antisemitic for its claims that “Jewish people dominated the slave trade and that the Holocaust never happened.”
As was expected, Irving apologized and sought absolution from sponsors and fans willing to overlook outward anti-semitism. However, his apparent remorse took several days to come to light. In that time, the NBA banned him for a minimum of 5 games and Nike dropped their sponsorship of him. The league will suspend him indefinitely while they decide their course of action.
This is not the first time that Irving has gotten media attention for expressing questionable ideologies with little to no factual basis. He once insisted that the Earth is flat during an issue of the “Road Trippin’ with R.J. and Channing” podcast in 2017.
"There is no concrete information except for the information that they're giving us. They're particularly putting you in the direction of what to believe and what not to believe. The truth is right there, you just got to go searching for it” said Irving, when asked about his thoughts on the Earth’s roundness.
A legendary Bronco lost his job in the crossfire that is sports politics disagreements. Not even his basketball affluence could save the sinking ship of the Nets, whose future success remains to be seen. With so many factors against him, and the highest stakes possible for the profession, Nash is out of Brooklyn. With what we know of him, though, he won’t be gone for long – and his expertise will nurture another NBA team when he’s ready.