Steve Nash was born in South Africa but grew up in Canada, enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and was given a scholarship by Santa Clara University. In his four seasons with the Broncos, the team made three NCAA Tournament appearances, and Nash was twice named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. After graduating as the team's all-time leader in assists, he entered the 1996 NBA Draft and was selected as the 15th pick by the Phoenix Suns and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. By his third season with the Mavericks, he was voted into his first NBA All-Star Game and had earned his first All-NBA selection. Nash led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals the following season. However, he became a free agent after the 2003–04 season and returned to Phoenix. In the 2004–05 season, Nash led the Suns to the Western Conference Finals, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player. He was named MVP again in the 2005–06 season. Named by ESPN in 2006 as the ninth greatest point guard of all time, Nash has led the league in assists and free-throw percentage at various points in his career. He is also ranked as one of the top players in league history for three-point shooting, free-throw shooting, total assists and assists per game. 03/09.