The debate over Steve Nash’s two MVP awards has raged for nearly two decades. Many fans and analysts still argue that Shaquille O’Neal in 2005 or Kobe Bryant in 2006 should have taken home the honor instead of the Canadian point guard. But to one of Nash’s former Phoenix Suns teammates, there is no debate at all.
Appearing on Run It Back TV, Joe Johnson explained why Nash deserved to win both MVPs during his Suns tenure.
“Man, he did. I’m gonna tell you why, bro. We had a stretch. We had a stretch where he missed like eight to ten games. We probably won one game, bro. I ain’t gonna lie.”
“That’s how important he was to us because when we had him on the floor, it was like, you know, we was just blowing teams out left and right. But when he was off the floor, it was like, why is the game so hard? You know what I mean?”
Johnson’s point speaks to the essence of Nash’s MVP candidacy. It wasn’t just his numbers, which were solid but not gaudy compared to Shaq or Kobe. It was the transformative effect he had on the Suns’ offense and the way he elevated everyone around him.
In the 2004-05 season, Nash averaged 15.5 points, 11.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds while shooting a blistering 50.2% from the field and 43.1% from three. The Suns finished with the best record in the NBA at 62-20, led by Nash’s orchestration of Mike D’Antoni’s famous “Seven Seconds or Less” offense.
O’Neal, meanwhile, averaged 22.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks while leading the Miami Heat to a 59-23 record. Statistically, Shaq had the edge in scoring and rebounding, but Nash’s Suns were simply unstoppable with him on the floor.
Voters rewarded the team’s transformation, giving Nash his first MVP while O’Neal finished second.
The following year brought even more controversy. Kobe Bryant delivered one of the greatest scoring seasons in history, averaging 35.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while dragging the Lakers to a 45-37 record and the seventh seed in the West.
Nash, meanwhile, posted 18.8 points, 10.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 51.2% from the field and 43.9% from deep. The Suns finished with the second-best record in the conference at 54-28, despite Amar’e Stoudemire missing nearly the entire season.
Many fans believed Kobe should have won MVP for his historic scoring run, but team success has always been a major factor in MVP voting. The Suns’ ability to stay among the league’s elite without their All-Star big man was credited to Nash’s brilliance. In the final tally, Nash won his second straight MVP, LeBron James finished second, and Kobe placed fourth, despite receiving more first-place votes than LeBron.
Johnson’s defense of Nash highlights a key distinction in how MVPs are judged. Shaq and Kobe may have been more dominant individually, but Nash’s value was measured in how his presence elevated Phoenix from an afterthought to a juggernaut.
The debate will never end, but to those who played alongside him, Nash’s MVPs weren’t robberies; they were validation of how completely he changed the game.
