This writer was about 11 years old when he started becoming a sports fan. He was in sixth grade, and suddenly his father's passion for teams such as the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings became more interesting. He wanted to be a part of the sports culture and become immersed in a phenomenon that consumed so many of his friends and family. Kids in his class wore jerseys all the time and talked about the big play, the big game from the previous night. 

As this author started watching football, he was drawn to a wide receiver from the Indianapolis Colts. He was a talented, clutch, yet humble player. He consistently made great plays and when he scored touchdowns, he acted as if he had been there before. As if he expected it and now that it happened, all there was left to do was hand the ball to the ref and run to the sideline. Marvin Harrison is the reason yours truly became a Colts fan, instead of the local Redskins and his family's team, the Lions. 

Watching the 2006 World Cup with his neighbors about two years later, he noticed a player with similar qualities. He watched this player's first ever game in the world’s largest sports tournament and was immediately attached. He glided through defenses and passed the ball so quickly that you wondered if he even had it in the first place. He was a threat every time he touched the ball, yet he never whined or celebrated too much: even keel. Lionel Messi is the reason that this author roots for Argentina, along with the US, every time there is a World Cup. 

Certain athletes grab our attention in a unique way, and it's different for each person. Great players such as Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter and Tom Brady play the game with intensity and inspire tons of kids, teens and adults around the country. For yours truly, however, it was three guys. Messi and Harrison had a certain style of play and a certain character that caught his eye, but these guys quickly became the second and third favorite athletes of all time when he started watching Steve Nash.

The first season of watching him was his last year with Dallas. He, Dirk Nowitzki, and Michael Finley were a dynamic trio that was a blast to watch. There was something about Nash that stood out, but it's hard to articulate. Nash played the game in a way that this writer had never seen. In certain moments, it seemed that his team was playing five versus four just because of how quickly Nash processed defenses he was faced with. Whether man or zone, Nash seemed to always create space and give his teammates opportunities to score. He ran and dribbled in a shifty fashion that was unmistakable. If you saw silhouettes of all the point guards in 2005 bringing the ball up the floor, Nash would be the first one that you recognized. He bounced up the court with deceptive speed and leaned his gangly, 6'3" frame in whatever direction he was moving. His court vision was unmatched during his prime. He rewarded cutters coming from all directions with the precision of a laser, firing off bounce passes, behind the back flips, over the shoulder tosses or wrap-around feeds for layups and dunks. Offense looked easy when Nash was in control, whether it was the fast break or half court setup. If you clogged the lane, he would just pull-up for a three-pointer. He shot over 36 percent from deep for his career so most defenders knew better than to give him too much space on the perimeter. 

This author wasn't very athletic growing up, especially in elementary school. He played rec-league basketball since he was five and for the first six years, he was irrelevant. Sure, it's all about having fun and getting some exercise, but that was about all that yours truly could contribute. In sixth grade, however, he decided to focus entirely on defense. The coaches let him start on a team that ended up winning the title in 2004. They gave him the award for "Biggest Hustle Player" at the end of the season and, despite only scoring a dozen baskets the whole season, called him the unsung hero. It felt great, and from then on, he wanted to improve his game. It started with watching more NBA basketball and whenever he could, he wanted to watch Steve Nash and the Suns. This author modeled his game after Nash and decided that if he couldn't shoot very well, he could always play defense, rebound and pass. Those three things he has always excelled at, while the shooting and slashing ability was extremely hot and cold. Nash taught him that, while all of his friends talked about how many points they scored, he focused on two stats - assists and turnovers. This writer always wanted to have five more of the former than the latter. Nash had the ball on a string and orchestrated an offense in a way that inspired yours truly not to be a ball handler or point guard, but to be a leader, and a great teammate. The main goal was to help his teammates and distribute the ball to whoever was open, and it paid off. He continued to watch Nash and both admired and took note of the way he saw the floor and passed the ball. During this author's sophomore year, he had 19 assists and four steals in a playoff game to go with just one point off of a technical foul free throw. 

Nash didn't just inspire this writer on the court, but in life overall. The way he carried himself during a game was similar to how he behaved off the court - getting others involved and staying humble. Despite back-to-back MVPs, he never carried himself with a certain swagger or arrogance. On the court, though, he was a cold-blooded competitor. He wanted to win like no other, and in dozens of moments throughout his career, he ended up hitting the game winning or game-tying shot in the final seconds of a close game. The combination of his unselfishness and leadership paired with his killer instinct made him one of the best point guards of all time. Although his career faded in Los Angeles, his time in Phoenix and Dallas more than cemented him as a Hall-of-Famer. 

Kids are impressionable, certainly. We can often notice them trying to imitate their parents, siblings and friends. They are drawn to certain qualities, and for yours truly, he was drawn to teamwork, a humble demeanor and a killer instinct. It's the reason he has several Colts jerseys in his closet, and roots for Argentina as if he had once lived there and became immersed in the culture. It's the reason that Steve Nash quickly became his favorite athlete, and person, of his generation. There is just something about him. True greatness, at times, is indescribable. You just had to see it for yourself, and this author is blessed to have been able to watch Nash during his prime. He had a profound impact on this author's life and he wishes him nothing but the best going forward.