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In the 2000s, there weren’t many more influential players in the NBA than point guard Steve Nash. Speaking exclusively on Flashscore’s flagship Czech podcast, Livesport Daily, he gives us his opinion on the biggest trade this season, the legacy of Dirk Nowitzki as well as his relationship with Tottenham Hotspur.

Nash was one of the most productive point guards of his generation, and despite his ‘diminutive’ size for the NBA, standing at 1.91 metres didn’t stop him being named the league’s MVP twice, a feat made all the more impressive given they were back-to-back.

The hall-of-famer inspired many that didn’t fit the stereotype of a modern player and one of those now making waves is Slovenian star Luka Doncic.

His move from the Dallas Mavericks to the LA Lakers was a jaw-dropping moment in January and one that took Nash himself by surprise.

He explained: “I think everybody was shocked. They clearly did an incredible job, especially in today's age of keeping it quiet.

“It definitely changes the landscape of the NBA and the Western Conference. And, you know, even the next 10 years, having one of the best players in the game go to the Lakers.”

He added: “You have a young player entering his prime and hopefully going to stay there for a minimum of five to hopefully 10 years.

“That's the part that is the most difficult part of the equation, because regardless of how it goes, luck is involved in all these things, but to get a star of his quality at his age is remarkable for the Lakers.”

Since moving to the Lakers, Doncic has had an impact, winning their last five games. His individual numbers are slightly down on his stats from his time in Dallas this season.

That will be the adjustment to the new side, but Nash believes, despite the uptick in form for the Lakers, that this trade doesn’t automatically make them favourites to win it all come the playoffs.

The former Laker mused: “I think they have a chance. They've opened the door to be a contender, but there's so much they have to sort out.

“You know, they're just starting to play together. You have two players that are actually quite similar. LeBron (James) and Luka, they both are playmaking forwards.

“They kind of are point forwards. So trying to make all those pieces fit, trying to get their defense solid. You know, they're a little thin at the center position, but they have great positional size.

“…(I am) very interested to see, and I think they definitely could play themselves into contention, but I think it's really early to say that when we haven't seen it at least for a few weeks to see maybe some light, some understanding, some connectivity, but there's a chance.

“I think like that, that underestimates how difficult it is in a short period of time to find that connection and commonality and understanding and way to play.”

Moving on from the court

As well as playing for the Lakers, Nash had his most successful seasons with the Phoenix Suns - the place where he won his two MVP awards. After retiring, the celebrated player did not leave the sport, taking up positions with the Canadian national side and the Golden State Warriors before becoming the head coach at the Brooklyn Nets.

Never far away from the court, Nash valued his time inside the Warriors’ organisation as he moved away from his playing days.

Speaking about his time with Golden State, he said: “I really enjoyed watching, listening, sharing, and helping where I was asked that group. So really great opportunity for me to see, you know, a special moment in time in our league where a team kind of emerged playing smaller, shooting more threes, and were very influential in the game. So, yeah, but definitely incredible times for me to experience with that group of people.

“But again, like I said, when you work with incredible human beings, you know, I think the experience is better and the potential is higher because the character is so integral to developing, to growing, to improving, to adapting. So they definitely had that kind of humble confidence to continue to adapt and face, you know, whatever their challenges were.”

One of the stars of that team continues to be Steph Curry. The four-time NBA champion has been one of the icons of the sport during the last 15 years, and at 36 is showing very few signs of slowing down.

Nash, who worked with Curry during his time at the Warriors, feels that Curry, despite all the accolades he has received over the years, is still not lauded as much as he should be.

Speaking about Curry’s place amongst the game’s greats, Nash pondered: “I think in some ways he's underappreciated. You know, his impact on the game, the way he was able to be an MVP and a champion in a new way, shooting impossible shots at a high percentage, the way he impacts defenses even when he doesn't have the ball, like, it's remarkable.

“At the same time, you know, he's not physically imposing like some of the other great players. You know, he's not 6'9", like Magic (Johnson) or (Larry) Bird. He's not a 7'0" dominant center like some we've had.

“And he's not like an elite explosive athlete like Michael Jordan or Kobe. So it's hard to say where he stacks up, but I will say that his impact is way, way up there with almost anyone who's ever played the game. I think his maximising of his talent is just incredible.”

European legends

Nash is not your typical NBA player in more ways than just his height. Born in South Africa, raised in Canada with a British father, Nash has one of the more unique back-stories in the sport. Alongside Doncic, a Slovenian, there are plenty of non-US players now making a splash in the sport.

He played alongside Dirk Nowitzki - a German-born forward - at Dallas. Nowitzki was seen as a pioneer for European basketball players moving to the NBA and an inspiration for the likes of Doncic and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.

Having been a teammate of Nowitzki, Nash believes the ‘Dunking Deutschman’ has created a defining legacy on the league.

Speaking about his former teammate, Nash said: “He's had a big influence on European or foreign players, but also just on the game in general, you know, like, you know, he's one of the key guys in this revolution of having five shooters on the floor.

“Those things were partly cemented by his success in showing a generation that you don't have to fit the traditional positional profile. I think everyone came in the league and they said, well, he's a seven-footer who can't really post well, but he can shoot, he can post up on the mid posts from the elbows. He can isolate and always get a shot from the nail or the mid-range areas.

“He was an incredible closer. So it was a different way to finish games too, with a player like that, who wasn't in the post or wasn't on the perimeter, but kind of took mid-range spaces and was able to isolate and look over the defense. It got you leaning one way or the other, he was up in the air and it's such a high release, you know, it was devastating.

“So I think he had a big impact on the game. And I think he's definitely influenced a lot of young players, especially taller kids that, you know, maybe didn't feel comfortable in the post and what's happened now. You know, we don't really post up anymore unless you're one or two or three people or you got a mismatch.”

Since leaving the court, Nash has been busy in other sports too. A lifelong Tottenham Hotspur fan, he has also become a part-owner of LaLiga club Real Mallorca

Following Spurs has given him moments to cherish alongside his storied career, but how do they match up emotionally?

“I definitely cried on TV in America when Spurs beat Ajax in the semi-final of the Champions League, which was embarrassing. I think in that moment, I don't know if you remember the game, Lucas Moura scored a hat-trick to come back to win in Amsterdam. And, you know, the dramatic nature of it, honestly, I love, love my club, but I never really thought I'd see Spurs in a Champions League final.

“And so to realise it in a dramatic fashion like that, I think it also was nostalgic for just, you know, my dad, my brother, my grandfather, my cousins, like, you know, what it means and how it's connected us all for, for, you know, 50 years now. It was very emotional in that respect, but I never thought about or never really was conscious of, like, how you would feel because there's this thing that's tied you all together throughout your life. So, yeah, it got, got, got quite emotional there.

“In the NBA, once or twice, you know, you get emotional and not quite making the finals, losing in the, in the conference finals, feeling like you let your team down as the leader and not finding a way, not even playing well, but not finding a way. And that could be quite emotional as well. So, yeah, long live sport, you know, it's great.”

Listen to the full interview with Nash right here.

After AZ punched their ticket for the UEFA Europa League round of 16, the Alkmaar side will look to continue their fine European form in England.

The fifth-placed Eredivisie side impressed against Turkish giants Galatasaray, beating them 4-1 in Alkmaar before limiting the damage in Istanbul with a 2-2 draw.

In their first UEFA Europa League round of 16 appearances since the 2013/14 season, AZ will face Tottenham Hotspur.

The Cheeseheads just recently met Tottenham Hotspur in October, narrowly losing 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to a Richarlison penalty.

AZ avoided Manchester United in Friday's draw. AZ and Manchester United had only met twice before - during the 2019/20 Europa League season. AZ held the Red Devils to a 0-0 draw in Alkmaar but lost 4-0 at Old Trafford.

Tottenham Hotspur have been struggling this season with the team currently in 12th place in the Premier League. However, Spurs finished fourth in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League, earning them automatic qualification for the round of 16.

The draw will see Tottenham Hotspur academy product Troy Parrott face the club he represented for seven years before leaving on a permanent transfer to the Eredivisie side in the summer of 2024. The Irishman appeared in four games for the Spurs in the 2019/20 season before getting loaned out to Millwall, Ipswich Town, MK Dons, Preston North End, and Dutch side Excelsior.

AZ and Tottenham Hotspur will play their round of 16 matches on March 6th and 13th. The two sides will open their tie in Alkmaar before playing the deciding leg in North London.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered their first defeat in this season's Europa League at Galatasaray on Thursday and manager Ange Postecoglou (59) put the blame on a disappointing opening-half performance.

Spurs went to Istanbul on the back of three wins from three in the competition, but by half-time they were 3-1 down and ended up losing 3-2.

"Obviously, disappointing result. First half wasn't great, we just didn't handle things well at all," Postecoglou told reporters.

"Particularly with the ball, just really wasteful and gave it away way too many times, unnecessarily. That allows them to get a foothold in the areas that they're good at.

"I think that first half ultimately cost us the game and disappointing for us."

Spurs were punished for sloppy defending against a side which boasts the attacking talents of Mauro Icardi, Dries Mertens and Victor Osimhen, who netted twice.

"They got some good players in the front third and we just allowed that to happen way too often and ultimately paid a price for it," Postecoglou said.

"Because I thought, you know we always finish strongly and I knew we would in the second half."

That second half got even tougher when Spurs went down to 10 men after the sending-off of Will Lankshear, who had earlier scored his first goal for the club, but they did manage to pull a goal back through Dominic Solanke.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou (59) is solely focused on the task at hand and not getting distracted by the Premier League table at this stage of the season, he said after his side came back from behind to crush Aston Villa 4-1 on Sunday.

Two second-half goals from new signing Dominic Solanke and a sublime James Maddison free-kick helped the home side make a comeback and overwhelm sixth-placed Villa, who were on a seven-match unbeaten run in the league.

Spurs climbed to seventh in the league on 16 points, two fewer than Villa.

"Yeah potentially, I don't spend too much time thinking about it," Postecoglou told reporters when asked if there is a more open field for Champions League qualification spots this campaign.

"But it looks like there's a lot more congestion in terms of the field itself. Some of that I think is just the attrition rate of players at the moment, which is making it hard for teams to get into smooth water, so to speak.

"The table is only important for me at the end of the year. While we're running in the race, I don't like looking either side of me.

"I keep saying to the players: if I was a racehorse, and I'm not, it would be one with blinkers. I'm just looking at the finish line."

Spurs' struggles to defend set-pieces continued when Villa's Morgan Rogers poked home from a yard out after Lucas Digne's corner was flicked on into the six-yard box.

"Yeah, look, we conceded from a set-piece. I know I'm on my own on this, I don't like them. To me... it looks like a (rugby) scrum. I just don't think that's what football's about," he said.

"But it's part of football these days, where you can just drop the ball in the box and people can fight over it. So disappointing for us to concede from that, but in general I thought we handled their set pieces really well.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has urged his side to shed their reputation for inconsistency by proving they can be "relentless" in their pursuit of success.

The north Londoners' habit of failing to fulfil their potential and wasting promising positions, both in matches and throughout seasons, has been dubbed "Spursy" by frustrated fans.

Tottenham, trophyless since 2008, have stuck stubbornly to that script in the first two seasons of Postecoglou's reign.

They blew a golden opportunity to qualify for the Champions League last season and have made an erratic start to the current campaign.

Postecoglou's men squandered a 2-0 advantage in a 3-2 loss at Brighton in their last game before the international break.

It was the 10th time Tottenham had taken a lead of two goals or more and subsequently lost in the Premier League era.

Saturday's London derby against West Ham will bring painful memories of the team blowing a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 in 2020.

But while Postecoglou described the criticism as "irrelevant", he acknowledged the only way to change it is with success.

"You say it's 10 times but it hasn't been 10 times with me so give me a break. Let me get to 10 and then start putting tags on, but you have to accept that, right?" the Australian told reporters on Friday.

"People will always find easy ways, if you've got a wound, to stick their finger in that wound and if you're not prepared to accept that when things haven't gone well, make sure things go well.

"There is one way to change that. If we want to change the perception of ourselves, it will not come because of, 'please don't call us those names', it will come because we're proving we're a team that can be relentless in our approach and be successful."

Postecoglou jokingly said he was ready to "explode" when Tottenham's players returned from international duty for his debrief about the Brighton debacle.

But the film session would have made for uncomfortable viewing for Postecoglou's team, judging by his frustrated summary of ninth-placed Tottenham's third defeat in seven league games this season.

"The second half was more around we just didn't look anything like ourselves. We were really passive with and without the ball. We lacked real conviction and courage in everything we did," he said.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou (59) admits he's been brooding over the international break after the defeat at Brighton.

Postecoglou says he's ready to drive his Spurs players hard when they re-assemble for training.

"You never know if it (the international break) is good or bad. Maybe for the players it was good, but I don't like sitting on a loss," Postecoglou told Optus Sport.

"There can be a tendency to over-analyse things. It wasn't a good one. The first half was unbelievable, but I didn't like the second half and what we looked like. It wasn't the loss, it was the manner I wasn't comfortable with.

"I've been sitting on it for 10 days, I'm ready to explode once they get back in the building and that will be my therapy.

"What everyone wants me to do is what everyone else does. I'm not going to do that

"The reason I'm here now is because I didn't do what everyone else does. I wouldn't do anything differently because I've always tried to make decisions that I believe are going to stay true to what we're trying to create.

"What I do know is that people forget the starting point. It becomes really blurred. I don't forget the starting point. That's how I measure progress."

Postecoglou added: "This club has its own unique challenges for sure. Are they more difficult than others? I don't know," he said.

"When I was at Celtic I was expected to win. If you lose one game it's a major problem and not many can cope with that.

"It's just a different challenge for sure. I get why people would say it's the level and the scrutiny is the reason why you're not having success - I don't believe that. I believe we will have success and there's nothing here that makes me think that is insurmountable."