NBA Legend Steve Nash Hosts Charity Soccer Game in Roosevelt Park

NEW YORK, NY -- If a basketball career didn't work out for Steve Nash, he could have been a professional soccer player like his younger brother, who played for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Canadian men's national team.

On Wednesday evening, thousands of fans got a glimpse of what could have been as the 18-year NBA veteran hosted his 11th annual 7-on-7 charity soccer match benefiting the Steve Nash Foundation's programs for underserved children. The 'Showdown' featured a star-studded lineup of professional soccer players and NBA stars at Sara D. Roosevelt Park in the Lower East Side on a field that Nash said he spent many summers playing on.

Some of the athletes who participated in this year's soccer exhibition included Graeme Le Saux (Chelsea/England National Team), D’Angelo Russell (Brooklyn Nets), Giuseppe Rossi (Genoa CFC), Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn Nets), Christian Fuchs (Leicester City FC), Charlie Davies (USMNT/MLS), and Kyle Martino (USMNT/MLS).

"It's a fantastic opportunity to do something for this community," explained Nash. "I spent many summers playing in this park, so to be able to help the neighborhood is fantastic, but to be able to help raise some money and awareness for the causes of the kids that we're trying to give a better future for is why we're doing this. For us to be able to do this for 11 years in a city that has everything is something that we're proud of."

Highlights from the match included TJ McConnell, who hadn’t played since the 8th grade, with the first assist of the game in the initial five minutes; Asmir Begović blocking everything in sight during the second half; and the phenomenal play of Giuseppe Rossi, a perennial fan-favorite making his return after last year’s rare absence.

Bleacher Report provided a behind-the-scenes look at the Steve Nash Foundation Showdown with live coverage of the event throughout the entire day as a co-sponsor of the game. The coverage featured player arrivals, skills challenges, video highlight packages, and player interviews.

"We've been following this event that Steve Nash has been putting on for many years," said Bleacher Report founder and CEO Dave Finocchio, who also played in the charity game. "Steve's such a great guy. He genuinely wants to help everyone that he can. We have this common bond around soccer and we're glad to be able to help support an event like this."

Nash, 44, was pleased with the turnout and the outcome despite dropping the exhibition 5-4 on a goal in the final 30 seconds.

“It was an incredible day,” Nash said. “We had world-renowned athletes taking time out of their schedules, traveling in from literally all over the world, to support the work we’re doing to assist underserved kids. Our volunteers were wonderful and the neighborhood was as supportive as ever. Bleacher Report’s role this year added unbelievable access for fans around the globe to take part in our event and get to be part of the day.”

After the match, Showdown fan-favorite Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers took center pitch to award the winning team a beautiful Showdown trophy. Showdown’s Most Valuable Player Award was presented by MINI’s Lee Nadler to Weston McKennie, the Showdown’s youngest-ever recipient.

This summer, Nash will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and it's something the former two-time NBA most valuable player looks forward to as he reflected on his career.

"I just think back to a kid that fell in love with the game at 13 years-old and spent every hour he could, practicing and playing and competing that had big, outsized dreams," explained a humble Nash. "Somehow I found a way to keep scratching and clawing to get my way through to college and eventually to the NBA to become a guy who was able to play for a long time. I'm incredibly gratefully to be in company with those who have been inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame."

Following the game, players joined with one another for a team dinner hosted by the Penny Farthing, followed by an intimate After Hours party at Cipriani Club 55 hosted by Guinness and Guinness USA.

All photos used in this article were shot by Sean Conklin.