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Steve Nash's side projects

In 1891 at a YMCA Training School in Springfield, Mass., a Canadian athletic instructor invented a simple game involving a ball tossed into a peach basket. It would take nearly a century for basketball to gain worldwide prominence and develop its own culture, fashion and vibe. Along the way, Canadians have played a huge role in popularizing the sport, on the street, in gyms and in the professional ranks.

Peter Mansbridge makes a good point. In this CBC-TV clip from Mansbridge-One-On-One he asks NBA superstar Steve Nash how he finds time for all his extracurricular activities. He lists "your charitable foundation ... your film company, concerns about Africa, professional soccer in Vancouver, women's soccer." Nash concedes that "sometimes it is overwhelming, but for the most part, you know, I'm a basketball player, and I wake up every day thinking about training ... and being a better basketball player." Nash discusses these pursuits and their place in his life, including a film project he is involved in about one of his idols: Terry Fox. He also discusses the Toronto Raptors and the departed Vancouver Grizzlies, and plays with the possibility of suiting up for the Raptors.

• Nash and his cousin Ezra Holland own a film production company, Meathawk Productions. In 2007 they created an 81-second piece called Training Day, a slice-of-life piece about Nash training in New York City. In the film, Nash is shown playing basketball, soccer and tennis, and skateboarding through New York streets. The movie incorporates a voiceover from Nash and upbeat African music. Although it is a Nike commercial, that doesn't become apparent until the end, when the Nike trademark "swoosh" appears briefly. The film was produced on a $30,000 budget during Nash's stay in New York City in the summer of 2007.

• Nash has also produced his own short film to promote a recycled sneaker, the Nike Trash Talk, a shoe made from the manufacturing scraps of other shoes. Nash released the film on Earth Day, April 22, 2008.

• Nash successfully pitched the idea about a film on Terry Fox to American sports network ESPN. The movie was to air in the U.S. as part of the network's 30/30 film initiative. The showcase features 30 one-hour sports-themed films by 30 different filmmakers on 30 different subjects from the past 30 years. The series launched in September 2009.

• Nash and Holland plan on making independent-type films. In a March 2008 article in the Arizona Republic, Nash suggests that once he retires from basketball the work will become more cinematic. He says he likes movies that are "funny and smart" and names The Big Lebowski as a favourite, along with foreign films.

• Nash has been highly active with volunteer work and has received various honours for his contributions to the community. In 2001 he formed the Steve Nash Foundation. According to the charity's website, it is "a private foundation dedicated to assisting underserved children in their health, personal development, education and enjoyment of life."

• For more on Nash's basketball career, see this 2005 clip.

Medium: Television
Program: Mansbridge One on One
Broadcast Date: Sept. 19, 2009
Guest(s): Steve Nash
Host: Peter Mansbridge Duration: 21:41 This clip was edited for copyright reasons. Football for Good documentary footage used courtesy of the Steve Nash Foundation and Athletes for Africa. VitaminWater ad used courtesy of Steve Nash and Meathawk Productions.

Last updated: January 30, 2013

Page consulted on January 30, 2013

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