Two-time NBA MVP (and former Complex Shotcaller) Steve Nash is back in the L.E.S. for tonight's sequel to last June's soccer extravaganza, Showdown in Chinatown. The 8-on-8 soccer match, which is for Steve's charity Football for Good, once again pairs NBA stars with international footballers. Joining returnees like Jason Kidd, Baron Davis and Barcelona's Thierry Henry this year are newcomers Tony Parker, Chris Bosh, and Inter's Javier Zanetti.
The action begins at 6 p.m. tonight at Sara D. Roosevelt Park on Chrystie St. between Rivington and Stanton—get there early to get a good seat. (Note: Tickets for the afterparty at the Hudson Terrace are on sale at the Steve Nash site.) To, uh, kick things off, we had a chat with Steve about his favorite sneakers, his worst suit, and which NBA player to watch for tonight ...
Interview by Max Schlusselberg
#1: WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER ONE DEAL-BREAKER FOR A POTENTIAL GIRLFRIEND?
Steve Nash says: My wife. [Laughs.] Other than that, I would say a lack of intelligence. Things just don't last very long when you're having a conversation with someone who can't think for themselves.
#2: WHAT'S THE WORST WAY YOU'VE BROKEN UP WITH SOMEONE?
Steve Nash says: I never really had that many serious girlfriends. A lot of unserious girlfriends though, so the break-ups don't really count. The serious girlfriends I've had, have been very respectable and diplomatic so I don't have any horror stories. But, there was a girl when I was in junior high who for some reason I could never convince to date me.
#3: WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Steve Nash says: I would say probably in the last month or so. It had something to do with my family. It was something stupid where emotions got the better of me.
#4: IF YOU HAD A WEEK-LONG HOLIDAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Steve Nash says: I'd love to go somewhere warm, somewhere near the beach and somewhere with a cool culture. It could be Hawaii, Cuba, South America—anywhere that has a cool culture and a beautiful climate. I love to spend a lot of time outside and the weather in New York has been terrible lately.
#5. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SNEAKER OF ALL TIME?
Steve Nash says: Right now I wear a lot of—pardon me—Nike, and Vans and Chucks. But for sneaker of all time, I'm sure there's a few Nikes I love to wear, I just can't think of them right now. I love the first pair I ever got. They're the black-and-blue Jordans, the first edition I think.
#6: WHAT'S THE MOST EMBARRASSING PIECE OF CLOTHING YOU'VE EVER WORN?
Steve Nash says: I probably have a lot of them in my closet if we go through the annals of history. But, the suit my agent picked out for me from when I got drafted was just awful. It was a dark suit with white socks and at the time I thought it was really cool. Looking back on it now though it was pretty dismal.
#7: WHAT HAS TO BE IN YOUR FRIDGE AT ALL TIMES?
Steve Nash says: Fruit. I love fruit. Any type, I love it all. My favorite fruit—this sounds kind of fruity—but I love apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, mangoes, melons, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew. I just love fruit.
BONUS QUESTIONS:
Complex: : The 2009 Showdown in Chinatown roster has NBA stars like Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Baron Davis, and Chris Bosh in the line-up. Who's the best soccer player and who should stick to basketball?
Steve Nash: I haven't seen Tony play but he grew up in France so he might be pretty good. Jason played quite a bit in high school and while growing up so I know he's a pretty good player. I'd say Baron Davis was the worst player last year—but by far the funniest and one of the crowd favorites, so he'll be starting this year. And Chris Bosh also has a great sense of humor.
Complex: What's it like playing along soccer stars such as Joe Cole and Thierry Henry?
Steve Nash: It's amazing. First of all, they're incredible athletes. And it's also amazing how the energy of New York brings the best out of these guys. We're not playing in a stadium, it's in a park on a street and the fans are standing right next to their heroes. The players really get into it and it makes for such an amazing event. As for competition, professional athletes are professional athletes so everyone's just as competitive as each other. Everyone's got an amazing amount of pride and a love for competition that's been built up over the years.
