Steve Nash gives insight into his failed tenure as Nets coach and what shocked him the most

Steve Nash has kept a low profile since being fired by the Nets, but the 50-year-old spoke a little about his time in Brooklyn and what shocked him about his failed coaching career.

Nash, who was handed a potential superteam with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2020, was eventually released in November 2022 despite a 94-67 record.

Nash, who had never worked as an assistant before, recently admitted that the job was not at all what he expected.

“I was surprised when I became a coach, you don’t get to be with the team that often,” Nash told Eurohoops. “You get five minutes with the players before the game, at halftime and after the game. Those are the only times you address the team.”

“I wanted to connect with each player individually. It’s important to build a culture and an environment where people believe and see that they are doing their best. You have to feel that you want them to become the best version of themselves.”

Nash spoke in Slovenia at a farewell event for Goran Dragic, who played behind Nash as point guard in Phoenix and then under him in Brooklyn in 2022.

Dragic, who was introduced to the Heat’s vaunted culture in Miami, has spoken in the past about how difficult his time with the Nets was because the franchise seemed more interested in pleasing its stars than winning.

Irving, who had said shortly after Nash was hired that he thought the Nets did not have a head coach, repeatedly ignored his playing instructions.

Nash, a Hall of Fame point guard, was used to leading winning teams as a playmaker, but trying to manage big personalities from the bench was a completely different task for him.

“The most important thing is to be honest with the players. There are a number of ways to communicate that,” Nash said. “It’s important to be clear and honest with the players so they don’t get confused. Communication is key.”

“For me, it was easy to be comfortable in my leadership role and lead by example. What is actually difficult from a coach’s perspective is that it is a completely different type of leadership. When you coach, you have to lead in smaller moments.”

Nash was lured to Brooklyn in September 2020 by general manager Sean Marks, his longtime friend from their playing days.

Marks had tried to persuade him to join the Nets organization before, offering him better and better positions until the opportunity to become head coach was just too good for Nash to pass up.

“I hadn’t planned on being a coach, but a unique situation knocked on my door in Brooklyn,” Nash said. “It was a quick transition. You’re dealing with a different dynamic. A lot of it is managing personalities, between front offices, players and agents. That’s a big part of my job. All the dynamics, personalities and power that players have these days.”

After Durant tried to have Nash fired in the summer of 2022, Nets owner Joe Tsai refused.

But the Nets let him go after just seven games the next season and have since fired his successor Jacque Vaughn and interim coach Kevin Ollie.

Jordi Fernandez will begin his first season as Nets coach in October.