Steve Nash is one of best point guards to play basketball. His determination, passion and generosity inspired many young Canadians to be like him on and off the court. He faced huge odds such as his height, fans of his teams booed him during his early years, but he managed to overcome them and that is why he is considered and inspiring Canadian. Determination is a huge factor of any inspiring Canadian, and there is no exception for Steve Nash as his determination is one of the best among Canadian Athletes.
Steve’s determination is one of his greatest characteristics. It helped him get through plenty of tough situations, and helped prove that he was one of the greatest point guards of all time. Steve was born in Johannesburg, South
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Africa in 1974, his Dad played professional soccer in South Africa but they then moved to Victoria, BC when Steve was about a year old. Steve was outstanding at soccer as he was named the Most Valuable Player for British Columbia. A spot on Canada’s national soccer team was his, but in Grade 8 he fell in love with basketball, he told his mom that he one day would be in the NBA, but some people thought that was an unrealistic goal considering how small he was, and how Canada ranks on the basketball board. When he first went to high school, his coach told him that he would never reach his goal of making a Division 1 College, so Steve transferred schools and worked on his game endlessly. His coach believed that he could play major college basketball in the States. The only problem was that no one else did. Him and his Coach called and wrote letters to dozens of Division One basketball colleges, including Arizona, Duke, and Villanova, some of the best colleges. But all of them rejected him, because they said he wasn’t talented enough. For motivation Steve stored every rejection letter into a shoe box. But one tiny school called Santa Clara had asserted their interest in Steve, so Steve’s coach sent him a film of Steve. The assistant coach was impressed, but told Steve he was the worst defender he had seen. So Steve practiced to be the best defender he could be. Steve’s first year in Santa Clara was better than expected gaining the 15th seed in the NCAA tournament and were playing against the 2nd seeded Arizona Wildcats. One of the best teams in the tournament. The media thought that Santa Clara had no chance, but then Steve and his team upset Arizona. Three years later Steve was in the NBA, he proved all the colleges wrong, and the high school coach and everyone else. However, when Steve was drafted by the Phoenix Suns, the fans booed him because he was from an unknown college, and he was from the “Great White North”. But year’s later fans would fall in love with Steve and would wish for him to come back. People don’t just remember Steve for his determination he also was remembered for his tremendous passion for the preservation the earth, sports and the lives of young children. Steve’s passion for the environment, and the life of young Canadians, proved that he wasn’t just some stuck up rich guy, it proved that he didn’t just care about himself.
Steve grew up playing tons of sports. He was an all-star in soccer, was tremendous at lacrosse, and grew up playing hockey, because he was Canadian. He also played rugby in high school. Most people believe he only has a passion for sports but in 2007, Steve Nash opened an environmental safe gym in Vancouver. The gym was made out of many environmental safe products, such as bamboo floors and lockers, and rubber flooring from car tires, and other things. The gym partnered with Steve’s foundation to help children get fitness into their life. A year later Steve and Nike made a custom shoe that was made out of recycled materials. The shoes were called “Trash Talk”. They were created from using waste material from other Nike shoes. Steve also created a youth basketball program for underserved children, to improve basketball skills, sportsmanship for underserved children, and children altogether. This program was funded by Steve’s foundation, which was made to improve, and develop the lives of underserved children by giving them basic needs. Although Steve’s passion was a huge trait that people remembered him for, his generosity solidified his legacy as one of the most inspiring …show more content…
Canadians. Steve’s generosity is as big as his determination.
In 2006, Steve and his foundation contributed to improve two hospitals in Paraguay. In one hospital they helped build a new pediatric centre in one and a cervical cancer treatment in the other, and in Arizona, Steve and his foundation helps builds pre-schools for children that cannot afford to go to any regular pre-school. Steve and his foundation co-founded a football program in Northern Uganda, a country that had been at war for 22 years. Steve and his foundation created the football program because Uganda’s children had been forced to become soldiers, or slaves. Others were scammed by agents who were promised to become professional soccer players. So Steve’s foundation helped build a centre for sports and therapy, were children could have programs for art, sports and other programs. Steve’s generosity caught the eyes of the NBA and the Canadian government, and was awarded the Order of Canada, the highest civilian award. He also received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award from the NBA. Even time magazine recognized the superstar’s generosity and named him 100 of the most influential people in the
world. Steve Nash is one of the most inspiring Canadians. His determination to improve at everything, his passion for the world, and his generosity improved inspired many young Canadians to be like him. That is why he is an inspiring, Canadian He
Earl Lloyd was probably the most courageous player of all time. Some people know him as “The Big Cat” others know him as the first African-American to play in an NBA basketball game with the whites; he changed the way people think and look at basketball and black players and coaches. Earl Lloyd loved basketball from a very young age. Earl had two brothers older than him which was Earnest and Theodore. Earl was very dedicated from a very young age. With his high school team he took them to a state championship and won. After high school Earl went off and took his talents to West Virginia State College. While Earl was there his sophomore year they went 33-0 which is a perfect season. Earl’s team won back to back CIAA conference championships and tournament championships.
In the history of business, there has been a clear record of industry heads finding something or someone as a mainstay and bedrock for their respective companies or corporations; there is often a chief product that keeps many businesses afloat, even in the rough times. Apple found it's own in 2001 with the iPod. McDonald's has had the Big Mac since the late 1960s. Nike, however, found their goldmine in a person with Michael Jordan. Walter LaFeber's Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism tells the paints the picture of the rise of young Michael Jordan from his middle-class family in racist North Carolina up through college and into the NBA where he becomes an international sports icon. It tells the story of how Jordan catches the eye of Nike's ambitious co-founder and CEO, Phil Knight, and how he was transformed from a young, rebellious black hoopster into the face of a multi-billion dollar transnational corporation while stretching its touch all of the way to the far reaches of Asia. LeFeber's book also delves into the darker issues and topics addressing Jordan and Nike, such as race and sports and how they played a part during scandals that surrounded MJ off of the court along with the growth of Nike abroad and their dealing with technological changes in manufacturing while facing criticism for their labor practices.
Steve Nash is considered one of the greatest point guards in the first decade of NBA, and he already became a national hero in Canada based on his tremendous achievement as a professional basketball player. However, according to his interview, Nash was considered a player without sufficient talent to be even a good college player in the United States. No college was willing to offer him a scholarship initially, because he was a Caucasian player from Canada. Caucasian players were widely considered as athletic inferior to African players, and Canada was also considered a country that has few talented basketball players. This is a typical stereotype about Caucasian basketball players in NBA, and usually
Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg Manitoba on July 28 1958 Terry was raised in port Coquintlam, British Columbia. He was very athletic from a young age. When he was in grade eight Terry was rated nineteen out of nineteen on his basketball team. For that first season he was on the court for approximately one minute. This did not affect Terry and did not let it get to him, fore just two years later Terry was the starring player on his team. By the time he graduated he became one of two athletes to receive the schools highest athletic award.
Pre was born in Coos Bay, Oregon. When Pre was young he loved to play all sports. He was a gifted athlete from the beginning. His only problem was that he was smaller than the other kids his age. When he got into Junior High School he was directed towards running because of his size factor. Prefontaine loved the sport and decided to run cross-country at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay. When track season came around, Steve ran the distance races for his team. After losing one particular race he promised that he would not lose another in his high school career. Prefontaine did just that, he didn't lose a single cross country or track race including the state championships.
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the biggest and most dominant guys to ever play the game of basketball. He is such a big guys, he wears a size 43 shoes! He is one of the most dominant BigMen to ever play in the NBA. Shaquille O’Neal was an NBA power forward from 1982-2011, his life before, during and after the NBA are pretty fascinating subjects to talk about.
Michael Jordan, what comes to your mind when you hear that name? Michael had played for the bulls and had gotten 6 championship rings with the team. Well, is it just me or does that sound like a lot of time in the game of basketball? In 1982 he took a big step up from highschool to college, where he wanted to pursue the basketball dream. He went to college at North Carolina where he played NCAA basketball for just one year before he was drafted in 1984. All eyes were on him when he went on the court, because that just how good he was at the game of basketball. Michael Jordan is one of the greatest players in NBA history, maybe even the greatest of all time.
In the essay written by Gary Nash, he argues that the reason for the American Revolution was not caused by the defense of constitutional rights and liberties, but that of “material conditions of life in America” were not very favorable and that social and economic factors should be considered as the driving factor that pushed many colonists to revolt. The popular ideology which can be defined as resonating “most strongly within the middle and lower strata of society and went far beyond constitutional rights to a discussion of the proper distribution of wealth and power in the social system” had a dynamic role in the decisions of many people to revolt. The masses ideas were not of constitutional rights, but the equal distribution of wealth in the colonies that many felt that the wealth was concentrated in a small percentage of the population in the colonies. The Whig ideology that was long established in English society had a main appeal towards the upper class citizens and “had little to say about changing social and economic conditions in America or the need for change in the future.” The popular ideologies consisted of new ways of changing the distribution of wealth. Nash in his essay continued to give good evidence to prove his point that the American Revolution was not caused by the defense of constitutional rights and liberties, but by improper distribution of wealth. During the pre-American Revolutionary times, the “top five percent of Boston’s taxpayers controlled 49 ...
Since the beginning of the National Basketball Association’s history, the number of foreign players has increased exponentially. As a matter of fact, a record ninety-two foreign players from 39 different countries and territories were active on NBA rosters at the beginning of the current season (NBA Tips Off 2013-14 Season with Record International Player Presence”). In today’s game, foreign and international players have become a common site and are fundamental parts of many NBA teams. Ever since Italian-born, Canada raised Henry Biasatti stepped foot on a National Basketball Association court, international talent has become an important part of a, now global, NBA. International players such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki have contributed to the league with All-Star selections, Most Valuable Player awards, and even Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals. There’s no doubt, international talent has turned the NBA into a diverse, ultra-competitive professional sports league.
In his essay titled, “The Transformation of European Society”, Gary Nash argues how seventeenth and eighteenth century United States (U.S.) witnessed the birth of a distinct “democratic personality”. This personality had numerous effects on American society. Mr. Nash believed a society having democratic personalities exhibited the following qualities: individualization, competitiveness, and opportunity. Many factors led up to the creation of each of these traits. Americans wanted their own, distinct life, where they were not told how to act and what to think. Unfortunately, this was idealistic thinking. Reality was that they were swaying from the original goal of working towards the better of community, the Puritan way. Through the traits mentioned above in many ways could help society, they constantly went against it also. For example, many businesses, even parts of the government, were accused of being corrupt, and performing illegal acts in order to get ahead. U.S citizens were given so many options in life, many learned they could do better than what they were born to. The immense amount of land in the West led to many of these options. The land was cheap and unoccupied, meaning that it was relatively easy to gain success and achieve a higher social standing through the land. This was followed by the mindset of the “me” personality in much of American history. This also led to how competitiveness became ingrained into daily rational and overall life. A multitude of people were motivated to achieve more and become the vision of success that was driving their fellow man. Many of their visions were of owning land, and of being able to live a comfortable lifestyle. As Nash states, “living in a place where the ratio of people to ...
When I began my report I didn’t know much about Michael Jordan, but I did know that he was “undoubtedly the greatest player in the history of the NBA'; (“Michael Air Jordan'; 1). It seemed like every time I heard the word basketball I also heard the name Michael Jordan. There’s just no avoiding him. If you are watching television you might see him playing basketball or golf. If you were reading a magazine there will probably be an advertisement with his picture. If you were walking down the street you might see a kid wearing Air Jordan shoes or a Bulls jersey with “JORDAN'; on the back of it. This man is probably as recognizable as the Pope.
Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Jordan's family moved to moved to Wilmington, North Carolina while he was young along with his three siblings. He attended Ogden Elementary School, and later Trask Junior High School. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School, where he anchored his athletic career by playing baseball, football, and basketball ("Michael Jordan" Wikipedia). When jordan was twelve, he played with his local baseball team called the Babe Ruth All-stars. Jordan helped his team win there championship (Mattern 79). As A freshman at Laney, Jordan was cut from the varsity team and was reduced to playin junior varsity. His sophmore year he was cut from the varsity team once again, but this time, his best friend Leroy Smith, made the team. When Michael found out he did not make the team, he said:
Michael Jordan, considered one of the greatest to every play the game of basketball, was born in Brooklyn in 1963 and raised in North Carolina. As a senior in high school he was selected to the McDonald’s All-American Team, and then later accepted a scholarship to play for the University of North Carolina. After three seasons of college ball in which he averaged almost 18 points and 5 rebounds a game. He was selected 3rd overall in the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls after Hakeem Olajuwon (a hall of fame center with the Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (considered a major bust by the Portland Trail Blazers).
Steve Madden always showed interest in shoes, ever since he was younger and trying to figure out what he wanted to do as far as a career. Steve Madden began working for a number of footwear companies before starting his own. In 1993 he first opened his own store in New York. Since the very beginning Madden had an idea just as far he wanted his company to go. Designing platform shoes, chunky-heeled boots which attracted to a generation whose mothers and grandmothers wore stilettos. (Steven Madden, Ltd.)
Given his large platform as a NBA superstar, Jordan gave back to his community and most specifically children. Throughout the course of Michael Jordan’s outstanding career, he made a profound impact on the education of children. During Michael Jordan’s final basketball game as a member of the Washington Wizards, Jordan was given a plaque as a part of his ceremonial goodbye ceremony as a result of his large impact on the education of children by donating computers and money to many local schools. In addition to his large donations, Jordan also has led many campaigns to urge and motivate children to try their best and give their all in school. As a result of his donations and campaigns, Jordan has improved the educational conditions of the schools he has spoken and donated to and therefore changed the lives of those students. (Weeks)