It is certainly wacky for a pro athlete in one sport to try to play another professional sport. But it has happened a few rare times in history (Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, etc.)
Steve Nash can handle a ball with his hands or feet. The Los Angeles Lakers guard had a ‘try out’ with elite Italian soccer team Inter Milan Tuesday in New Jersey as the team prepared for the first ever Guinness International Champions Cup. The nine-day bracket-format tournament starts Wednesday in several U.S. cities and also features other top international teams including AC Milan, Chelsea FC, Everton, Juventus, LA Galaxy, Real Madrid and Valencia.
This story brings back all of the other great Athletes who tries to play more than one Sport. Michael Jordan playing Baseball or who can forget Bo Jackson playing 3 Sports?
“[The tryout] was kind of tongue-in-cheek,” Nash told For The Win. “The coach
was kind enough to let me get out there for a bit. They’re preparing for the season
and the Guinness Cup. It’s not ideal preparation to have a stranger walk on the
Sfield. They were really gracious and gave me the time of my life.”
Fortunately for Lakers fans, Steve Nash didn’t make the cut.
Nash, a part-owner of the MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps, also sponsors an
annual charity soccer game in June to raise money for underprivileged children.
Between those experiences and his practice with Inter Milan, he seems to be in
awe of the elite players he’s scrimmaged with.
“Their level of skill, athleticism, understanding of the game and speed of
thought and ability is incredibly honed and phenomenal to experience,” Nash
said.
The same could be said about the two-time NBA MVP on a basketball court,
although he hasn’t had much time on one this summer, spending most of his off
months rehabbing from an array of hamstring, hip and back injuries that plagued
him at the end of last season.
“I’m not 100 percent but I’m getting really close and getting better all the
time,” Nash said. ”I’ve done a lot of work and feeling positive and
optimistic.”
He’ll return to a Lakers team that no longer has Dwight Howard and faces
injury questions with fellow aging stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. The
39-year-old Nash, who has two seasons remaining on his contract with the team,
seems to realize his window to win his first NBA title is closing.
“I definitely want to win a championship but it’s not going to define my
career,” Nash said. “If I get the opportunity that’ll be fantastic and it’s part
of the motivation to keep playing, but I also feel like there’s a lot of other
reward in playing. I still enjoy being a teammate and competing against
the best players in the world.”
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