Links: Steve Nash’s Showdown in Chinatown
Nash, Baron, Henry, Kidd, Reyna…what more can I say?
(We’ll talk more here tomorrow about actual NBA moves, once the Draft is over and teams finish shifting guys around for the time being. But I will say this: Pacers fans, welcome to rebuilding!)
Last night here in Manhattan, Phoenix Suns guard and two-time MVP Steve Nash teamed up with former US National soccer midfielder Claudio Reyna to host a charity soccer match in Chinatown. They’d already announced the line-ups, which were pretty amazing, with a lot of big names. And they’d also already announced that the game was free for anyone who would show up, so I had an idea that this thing might be a disaster, at least in terms of crowd control.
I met up with Jake down at the field yesterday afternoon around 5:45, and there was already a crowd of people at least five-deep all the way around the field, pressed up against the chain-link fence. People were hanging from trees, climbing the fences…it looked like the famous picture of Dr. J at Rucker.
This was the view that I had…
So at first I couldn’t see anything that was happening, I could only hear occasional roars from the crowd. It was both frustrating and disappointing—though I wasn’t as mad as Kanye.
So Jake and I stood there on our tip-toes, trying to peer over the crowd. I saw glimpses of Nash, Leandro Barbosa’s left eye, a sliver of Raja Bell’s calf. At one point I heard a fan yell, “Hey Baron! Baron Davis! Opt out!”
A few moments later, thanks to the pulling of some strings, Jake and I were standing on the field in the corner, a few feet down from potential draftee Alexis Ajinca, who’s about 200 feet tall and wide and long and in street clothes looks like the greatest basketball player who ever lived. (Of course, I haven’t seem him actually do anything athletic, like run or hold a basketball, so any GMs out there reading this, you might want to consider watching him, like, play basketball.)
Once we were on the field, it was easier to see what was going on. The teams wore yellow and blue. The Yellow team featured Nash, Barbosa, Thierry Henry and Raja Bell. The Blue squad had Reyna, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Salomon Kalou and Jozy Altidore.
Some notes…
• Loudest cheer of the first half was for Baron Davis, who successfully headed the ball with a Dodgers hat on. I hope that little button on the top of his hat didn’t scrape the top of his head. Because that can hurt.
• Moments later, Baron scored with an assist from Altidore. Then Henry answered back on the assist from Nash. Nash then ran to the sideline and laid on his back with a towel behind his head. OK, not really.
• At one point, Henry ended up solo’d against Kidd, who was playing at half-speed and obviously wanted no part of trying to defend him. Henry went right around Kidd. Like Chris Paul during the Playoffs.
• Nash gets all the pub as the NBA player most into soccer, but Barbosa was ridiculous. He was playing full-speed, doing dribbling tricks, tearing up the wings. If Phoenix doesn’t trade him to Portland, they should at least put in a call to Sao Paolo.
• Only yellow card of the first half went to Henry, for dissent.
• Jason Kidd got free in front of the goal and someone centered the ball from the wing. Kidd tried to chest-volley the ball into goal but it clanked off the crossbar. Do I even need to make a joke? Actually, Kidd played well and had some nice skills on the ball out there.
• ESPN.com’s Mark Stein was also out there playing hard. After he missed an open header, I was going to give him a hard time here, but then I thought about it and remembered that even if they were all playing half-speed, Stein was playing with and against some of the greatest soccer players of all time. And I am one of the few people on earth who can sympathize with the enormity of such an experience.
• First person to kick the ball over the fence was Baron Davis. I was wondering if they’d have to cancel the game, but it turned out someone else had an extra soccer ball. Henry also hit a shot that went about 10 feet over the goal and through a hole in the fence.
• The game ended with Henry lobbing a pass to Nash, who let the ball carom off his chest and drop toward the ground, but before it hit the turf Nash one-timed into the net for a goal. Heckuva shot.
Although the NY Times reported Nash’s team won 9-4, Leandro told me it was actually 6-4. That’s what the Times gets for allowing Jayson Blair to cover the event. (And as I left I bumped into Joel Kimmel, official illustrator of The Links. We’d never met before, and now I’m concerned I’m going to be the drawing for NBA Friday.)
A few hours later at the after party at the store Replay in Soho, I asked Steve Nash why Shaq wasn’t out there playing, since he’s obviously in New York right now. Steve explained that he didn’t think Shaq was really into soccer. Who cares? As I told Steve, if they’d had Shaq in goal, his squad might have pitched a shutout.
As for the after party, it was pretty dope: a two-level store, open bars throughout, lots of cool people and current/former athletes. Jake and I talked to everyone from Shan Foster to Nash to Baron to some excited fans who’d crashed the party that Stein passed off on me. Jake had a plan to try and convince everyone that he was actually a prospect from Belarus in town for the Draft, but I don’t think anyone was buying it. Besides, Jake was too busy eating the free sliders and hot dogs.
Whatever the actual score, it was a great, entertaining event, a nice way to spend a few hours outdoors on a perfect, warm Manhattan evening, with everything benefiting Reyna’s charity and Nash’s charity. And as good a basketball player as Nash is, he should totally run for office once he retires (if they even have elected officials and stuff like that in Canada)—he was straight working that party, shaking hands and circulating around to everyone. He knew everyone’s name, and if didn’t he asked for your name and introduced himself. I’ve known him for a while now, even before he was the superstar he is today, and he hasn’t changed a bit, at least not when I’m around him. He organized much of this event on his own, got all these guys involved to play for free. You can argue his MVP-worthiness or his importance to the Suns, but to me, Nash’s commitment to humanity and the world he lives in remains inarguable.
And that makes him a perpetual MVP in my book.
57 Responses to “Links: Steve Nash’s Showdown in Chinatown”
Jun.26 at 4:28 pm
H to the izzo says:
I’ve seen Kanye in concert,he doesn’t give his all…
Jun.26 at 4:39 pm
At The End Of The Day says:
Shouldn’t this be on the Kicks website? Oh wait…Kicks doesn’t have a website!?!? Maybe thats because NOBODY HERE CARES ABOUT SOCCER
Jun.26 at 4:39 pm
its just alex says:
My friend went and said it was a lot of fun. Can’t believe you were on the pitch with Maldini. My goal is to get to a match at San Siro before he retires.
Jun.26 at 4:44 pm
TADOne says:
Nash is the man. Sounds like a pretty cool experience.
Jun.26 at 4:45 pm
peter says:
kanye is the madd rapper
Jun.26 at 4:49 pm
albie1kenobi says:
didn’t know Jkidd play soccer. That must have been really fun to watch. can’t believe Henry was there too. wonder if there’s any clip of this on youtube…
btw the Dr J at Rucker link doesn’t work.
Jun.26 at 4:52 pm
Captain America says:
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Jun.26 at 4:54 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
@albie: Link works for me.
Jun.26 at 4:57 pm
TADOne says:
Link didn’t work for me either, Lang. That’s weird.
Jun.26 at 4:58 pm
At The End Of The Day says:
LINK DONT WORK, FIX YO INTERNETS
Jun.26 at 5:01 pm
WhaHuh says:
Thierry is still a legend. Dissent? Those last few years at Arsenal made him so eccentric his post match interviews were classic.
Jun.26 at 5:06 pm
Mendel says:
Ahh, thats so sweet lang.
Jun.26 at 5:14 pm
RV says:
what time does the draft actually start, like the actual picking?
Jun.26 at 5:15 pm
Damian says:
It was a great event, I also never knew Replay was so great!!!! I loved the shop and the look. I will shop there from now on..
Jun.26 at 5:20 pm
its just alex says:
@WhaHuh: Like that interview with Fabregas where he tells him to say he was fouled? So great.
Jun.26 at 5:23 pm
DUBSGONDOIT says:
They say soccer is the most popular sport in the world, but I’ve never understood why. No contact, barely in scoring, flopping, etc… Just doesn’t excite me at all.
Jun.26 at 5:27 pm
RV says:
Dub, because you only need a ball to play it, you can make goals out of anything, u dont need a basket, equipment, etc..
Jun.26 at 5:28 pm
The Promise says:
nice
Jun.26 at 5:30 pm
BETCATS says:
David Amber has an annoying voice
Jun.26 at 5:39 pm
d.Y. says:
This had to happen when I’m gone.
Jun.26 at 5:59 pm
BroD says:
Too coolz, I wish I was there.
Jun.26 at 6:20 pm
jbn74sb says:
A.Y.S.O.
Jun.26 at 6:21 pm
Keith says:
Steve Nash continues to amaze me with his extreme downtoearthness. That’s a word.
Jun.26 at 6:24 pm
ciolkstar says:
Sounds pretty freaking sweet. Nashy mancrush at the end there? Joking, he does seem like a cool guy off the court/ in interviews. Nash/BDiddy in 2016!
Jun.26 at 6:24 pm
ciolkstar says:
BY the way…I think Ajinca’s gonna be a steal in this draft.
Jun.26 at 7:20 pm
Homie says:
I went to school with Steve up to grade 5, and he’s exactly the same dude now that he was then. Only richer.
Jun.26 at 8:41 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Nice recap, Lang. Seems like a great night. Love that Baron was playing in a Dodger cap.
Jun.26 at 9:36 pm
Joel Kimmel says:
Steve Nash is awesome. Was his brother playing, too? There was a guy out there I kept thinking looked just like Nash, but then again I didn’t have the tree branch seats, so my view was a bit obstructed.
Jun.26 at 10:08 pm
thesubwayconnection says:
Yes, Lang, Nash should run for something political when he’s done. We do indeed have elections and such, although they’re completely different than the U.S. My money’s on him winning something. Better than Charles.
Jun.26 at 11:07 pm
Dacre says:
STEVE NASH IS THE GREATEST. You wont ever hear him ripping up former team mates in a improve rapping session. Does he play an instrument?
Jun.27 at 12:35 am
Kadavour says:
Nash is one of favorite people ever.
Jun.27 at 1:26 am
KA says:
its very awkward watching you yanks trying to cover a soccer game. “the ball carom of his chest and he one timed it into the net?”. yikes.
Jun.27 at 4:53 am
Tony B says:
THATS ALOT OF WHITE PEOPLE IN THAT PIC
Jun.27 at 5:11 am
Jack says:
hahaha @ KA. I noticed that too. You guys are seriously lucky to have had Henry there. He was like the Kobe of the Premiership the past few years. Even though he killed my team time and time again, sometimes you had to just sit there and watch ’cause he was incredible.
Jun.27 at 7:24 am
Michael says:
great recap, got a little too rick reilly right at the end though. nash sounds likea good dude, pretty impressive he was able to get henry there, less impressive that solomon kalou was available. And it is no surprise barbosa is good at football, it is a birthright in brazil
Jun.27 at 7:57 am
Tariq says:
Playing soccer with Steve Nash has been on my Bucket List for a minute. During halftime, I’d like to discuss “The Brothers Karamazov” with him, because I know he read it and that’s my joint right there.
Jun.27 at 9:15 am
MK Petrik says:
So LANG, Whatever happend to that futbol magazine?
Jun.27 at 12:46 pm
Blinguo says:
Crazy CAPS guy up top, soccer with some NBA players for charity not worth mentioning in the doldrums of Summer post draft-before Olympics/Summer League aftermath? Plus there isn’t a STRIKER WEBSITE EITHER?!!@!@ Or at least one linked back here, right-o? Lang was near the very end of the VH1 Millennium show again last night for 06 I think (also got 2 seconds about Boston’s WS in 04), about the Geico caveman, making a “probably racist, but I don’t care,” statement. Now that’s gangsta Omar and Dave Zirin can appreciate. Lang Lang and Carmelo’s Lang-hee too.
Jun.27 at 2:13 pm
tealish says:
Jack: If anything, the obvious “Kobe” in soccer is Christiano Ronaldo. Hated by so many - with valid reasons, but are by far the greatest at their respective sports. And that hate, sometimes, makes certain people hesistant in acknowledging their greatness.
Jun.27 at 2:13 pm
tealish says:
And why isn’t there no video of this game?! Where’s your handy camcorder, Lang? Barbosa and Nash, I could see playing futbol. Baron and Kidd?? THAT I NEED PROOF OF.
Jun.27 at 2:59 pm
Edu says:
Wasn’t Leandrinho injured enough to play for the brazilian national team in Athens, Lang? “Playing full-speed” ???
Jun.27 at 3:04 pm
Tariq says:
tealish: I disagree with your Kobe/Cristiano thing. First off, Cristiano has only been the best for a year, Kobe’s been the Man since, what, 2005? Also, what “valid” reasons are there for hating Kobe? That he was ACCUSED of r@pe, but found innocent? And if you’re going to say “well, he cheated on his wife”, I’ll counter by saying that yes, that is despicable, but it’s none of our business. Plus, other “loved” athletes have done the same without expressing their remorse with a FOUR-MILLION-DOLLAR ring. So what are the valid reasons? That he’s “fake”, unlike Bron and Melo, who are really Black Panthers? I really don’t understand it. The only thing I can come up with is that a- he reminds people too much of MJ, it’s uncanny, and b- he ignites inferiority complexes in people who can never do ANYTHING half as well as that dude plays ball.
Jun.27 at 3:06 pm
Tariq says:
Carmelo Anthony has sold his soul to the Jordan Brand, but nobody has EVER called him on it (other than SLAM, in the issue before last).
Jun.27 at 3:28 pm
H to the izzo says:
Tariq:K.O.B.E
oh and he jumps over cars
Jun.27 at 3:47 pm
John E. Sanford says:
Awesome post LW. I’m not a huge soccer fan, but I respect the hustle that’s required. That’s a LOT of running there.
Jun.27 at 10:41 pm
tealish says:
Tariq: I don’t like Kobe’s fakenss. I don’t like it in Bron either. His infidelity isn’t our business, sure. But it’s my right to like him a little less because of it, no? Enough about Kobe, though. It’s getting boring –
Where’s that Ray Allen story? I’ve been dying to hear it.
Jun.27 at 10:42 pm
tealish says:
By the way, having the charges dropped and being found innocent by the courts are two entirely different things.
Jun.27 at 10:42 pm
tealish says:
I’m just saying.
Jun.28 at 12:52 am
Brandon Hoffman says:
This is really cool Lang. Thanks for the recap.
Jun.28 at 4:34 am
Tariq says:
tealish: You know what that Ray Allen hate I was talking about has to do with the Kobe hate? They’re BOTH irrational. Click on my name and read the article entitled “An Appreciation and an Apology” for the Kobe/Ray Allen thing.
Jun.28 at 8:09 am
tom says:
san paolo not is sao paulo
Jun.28 at 11:57 am
James Micargi says:
Wow I wish I was there, it seems like a cool down to earth event.
Jun.28 at 4:13 pm
dunkbar says:
let’s see if that works … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnCp1U_Jg9k&feature=related
Jun.29 at 5:53 am
mat smith says:
thanks for the recap, gotta love steve, oh and btw, how exactly did you manage to turn this into a kobe discussion? amazing….
Jul.5 at 2:20 am
cazzy says:
man that is like one of the best stories ove read in awhile. i really need to start getting a subscription to slam again.
Jul.8 at 12:22 am
Yunki says:
I believe Steve’s “carom off the chest” move is called a volley. Nice job either way Lang
Aug.3 at 4:08 am
nashhater says:
ok… im officially a nash hater. he is married with kids and he SLEPT WITH MY FRIEND LAST NIGHT!!! she didnt know he was married (she claims) but ummmmm… he did! He seemed like a good guy too.