Just a few years ago, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving came together to hand-pick Steve Nash as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. After signing with Brooklyn in 2019, the Nets gave their new stars complete control, and nobody could have predicted what would follow.
In just a few seasons, everything sits on the verge of a collapse, including Steve Nash’s job. As part of his ultimatum to team owner Joe Tsai last month, Kevin Durant demanded the firing of Nash and GM Sean Marks, who he sees as responsible for the whole ordeal.
Instead of meeting those demands, Tsai simply ignored them, and Durant eventually agreed to return after realizing the full scope of his situation.
But now that the worst is seemingly over, some have begun to wonder what it is about Nash that Durant has come to hate. In a recent chat with Uproxx, Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal provided his own explanation:
Shaquille O’Neal Explains The Reason Why Kevin Durant And Kyrie Irving Have Lost All Respect For Steve Nash
Shaquille O’Neal shares his opinion and reveals why KD and Kyrie might lose all respect for their coach Steve Nash.
Q: My last question is about the Nets, but it’s specifically about Steve Nash and everything that happened around him this summer. He’s coming back to lead them — with what you know about Steve as a guy who was teammates with him for a bit, do you think he can navigate going back to coaching this team like normal?
O’Neal: “Before I answer the question, I’m gonna tell you a little story. A guy asked me the other day, “you ever think about coaching?” And the answer is no. He said why? When a guy makes 20 times more than you, it’s gonna be hard for them to respect you. It shows that they don’t respect him. All the “I want him gone, I want him gone,” and then to come back and say we worked it out, nah, it ain’t that easy. As adults, we can have a heart-to-heart, we can iron it out. But it’s still right here. So when things don’t go right, they’re gonna blame it on him. So, he’s gonna have to demand their respect. As a player, if you know you were better than a former player who’s now a coach, it’s gonna be hard for you to, in tough situations, listen to him. So, it’s gonna be tough. I know the coaches I played for, they put their foot down. Sometimes you got to put your foot down, even if the player makes a $50 million, you got to put your foot down, especially if they ain’t gonna step up, anyway.”
The right coach will find a way to earn Durant’s respect, even despite the pay gap. If Nash fails to earn back some of KD’s trust, it’s going to be hard to find consistency throughout the season.
We will see soon enough how it all plays out for them. Until then, the basketball world will just have to keep guessing what version of the Nets we will see next campaign.
