article: But then Steve Nash is not your average all-American, multi-millionaire NBA superstar. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, worth an estimated Â£75m, you wonder how life might have turned out for him had his parents not decided to emigrate many years ago. For the Californian surfer-style good looks of the sportsman, philanthropist, coach, motivational speaker, football club owner and businessman, belie a distinctly British heritage. "I have a huge soft spot for my Welsh heritage," he tells me. Nearly 10 years after tracking down and interviewing Nash's late grandfather in his flat in Swansea's St Helen's, I have finally caught up with the grandson whose framed photograph took pride of place on his bedside table. One of the least well known sons of Wales, Nash's journey to the NBA has been an interesting one. It goes back all the way to Swansea Bay where Nash's mother, Jean Hall, grew up before heading to the 'big smoke' where her father worked as a police constable. There she met and later married John, an aspiring advertising executive from Tottenham. The young couple embarked on a new life together emigrating to South Africa. Nash, their first child, was born in Johannesburg in 1974. But not keen on their family growing up under apartheid, the Nash's made their next move. This time to Canada. The family relocated to Regina, Saskatchewan, and finally Vancouver Island, welcoming two other children along the way. From a young age Nash, who now has the likes of Red Hot Chilli Peppers star Flea on speed dial, had dreamed of sporting greatness. But it had nothing to do with basketball. "I may have grown up on the west coast of Canada but in a British household and my dad was an avid Tottenham Hotspur fan just like his dad," Steve recalls. "Spurs are a way of life for me. Football was my first love but I was better at basketball. "I reckon my love of playing football and that competitive spirit definitely helped my basketball career." And how? He smashed records with university team Santa Clara, starting as he meant to go on. But there's more to Steve Nash than being the National Basketball Association's two-time most valuable player. As mentioned earlier, he has many strings to his bow - the Steve Nash foundation raises millions of dollars for disadvantaged children worldwide, closer to home he has set up a junior basketball league, then there's his media production company, his chain of gyms and the two football clubs he part owns. Undeniably the humanitarian focus of his work helped earn him a place alongside The Pope, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates in Time Magazine's Most Influential People in the World list in 2006. 'So what is the driving force behind Wales' un-sung son?' I wondered. It was a question I put to him during our chat during his most recent pilgrimage to Tottenham Hotspur's training ground. "My parents taught me about inequality," he says. "I was lucky to grow up where and how I did, there
summary: Wales is not the first thing that comes to mind when talking about the all-American, multi-millionaire super stars of the NBA.