How can a skinny 6-foot-1 kid from Canada with bad hair – a devout soccer enthusiast, no less – be a perennial NBA MVP candidate for the Phoenix Suns?

Steve Nash was selected the MVP in 2005 and 2006. He finished second in 2007 behind Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki. He is now talked about in the same breath as one of the greatest point guards of all time with Magic Johnson, Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson.

An argument can be made that Nash is one of the most exciting players to watch – if not the most exciting player to watch – in the NBA. More exciting than LeBron James. More exciting than Kobe Bryant. More exciting than Dwayne Wade.

What makes him more exciting is his flair for distributing the ball and generating Phoenix’s run-and-gun offense to near perfection. He is more of a team player. James, Bryant and Wade are more individualistic.

NBA fans will pay equal or more dollar to watch Nash perform as opposed to the other All-Stars even though he can’t dunk, he looks like an ordinary Joe, he’s from Canada, and he doesn’t play in L.A. or New York.

The media might think otherwise, touting James and Bryant as the best in the game without question. The question is, the best in what way? Yes, they are the best in terms of spectacular individual performances. They are the best in scoring.

In fact, the media chooses to write more about Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd when referring to the most outstanding players in the league.

Why does not Nash, the perennial MVP contender, get the same type of attention?

Perhaps it’s his normal-guy image or humble beginnings in the NBA. Or it could be that he has yet to win an NBA championship like Bryant and Wade. The bottom line is Nash is not as physically gifted as the rest.

He does not have a phenomenal vertical leap, or a face that merits endorsements for everything from shoes to underwear. The words “great athleticism” are not said in the same sentence with Nash’s name.

Nash, however, is an athlete unlike many others. He’s 33 and still going strong, running the court like a greyhound. He has tremendous quickness and vision on the court. He can score in the paint in ways other NBA point guards can not, making wild, off-balanced shots off the dribble-drive.

And does anybody in the NBA throw a better pass to a teammate in transition? He can also drill the three-pointer, making 42.6 percent of his attempts in his career. He has an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 3:1 in his career, averaging 7.6 assists and 2.5 turnovers.

He is a career 89.6-percent free-throw shooter.

But what makes Nash most impressive are his intangible qualities, something you can not put a statistic with. He is a born leader, an identifiable captain. He makes those on his team play better together when he is on the court.

When Nash has been out of the lineup the last three years because of injury, the Suns have posted a meager 4-11 record. Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni has joked that he will retire the same day Nash announces his retirement.

Makes you wonder if Nash’s retirement will be front-page news when considering how much he takes a back seat to the NBA’s most awe-inspiring talent. If he played in Los Angeles or New York, he would be the next best thing to sliced bread.

But playing in Phoenix, in the shadow of the Lakers and usually away from the spotlight, Nash is at home. He can be the skinny guy who loves soccer but happens to be good in basketball.

He can continue to surprise and astound NBA fans. He can stay among the top vote-getters for the MVP award. He can continue to quietly be one of the greatest players in the league’s history.

Thank you to Javier Morales for this “Steve Nash MVP” article.