‘I was going through a tricky period in my life, This opportunity meant a lot to me but there was another opportunity that had to come first.’
The greatest Canadian basketball player ever was incredibly close to signing with Canada’s lone NBA team.
But there was one unfortunate factor that weighed into Steve Nash’s decision to spurn his home country and join the Los Angeles Lakers instead.
If not for his divorce and the need to stay close to his kids, Nash was ready to fly north.
He and former Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo both spoke about how close the two-time NBA MVP came to signing with the Raptors after becoming a free agent in 2012.
“We tried to get Steve Nash in free agency,” Colangelo said during an episode of Open Gym this week.
“We had a meeting set with the Raptors, July 1 in New York City at Mr. (Larry) Tanenbaum’s apartment,” Nash said. “It was a meeting that was exciting for me.”
Nash, who was coming off a season in which he made his eighth all-star game appearance and already had back-to-back MVPs under his belt with the Phoenix Suns, was one of the most prized free agents on the market in the summer of 2012 and the Raptors treated him as such.
“We closed with Wayne talking to Steve directly,” Colangelo said. “It was so impactful it moved Steve to tears.”
Unfortunately, personal circumstances stood in the way of the momentous move for Nash.
He had announced his split from wife Alejandra Amarilla two years earlier and the couple shared three children, including an infant son. The kids lived in Phoenix, where Nash had played the previous eight seasons for the Suns.
“It was emotional. I was going through a tricky period in my life,” Nash said. “This opportunity meant a lot to me but there was another opportunity that had to come first.
“The reality is I was going through a divorce at the time. My kids were in Phoenix. While you’re going through that transition, there’s a lot of unknowns. You’re trying to figure out how I can see my kids as often as possible.
“That was really the reason I didn’t end up in Toronto, was because I wanted to be close to my kids.”
Nash eventually would accept a deal with $8 million less to join the Lakers in a sign-and-trade deal.
“To play in Canada, to play for the Raptors, to play in front of those fans in that arena every night would have been amazing. If the timing was better it would have been fantastic to experience it.”
While seeing Nash suit up for the Raptors would’ve been a special moment, Toronto found a pretty good backup option.
The same day the Lakers signed Nash, the Raptors traded for Kyle Lowry, who would become one of the best and most beloved players in franchise history, helping lead the team to its first NBA championship in 2019.