(Brendan Maloney/US Presswire)
In the case of Steve Nash and Myck Kabongo, that's precisely what happened. Nash, who had been following the career of Kabongo, then a young point guard playing for Findley Prep, sent Kabongo a follow request on Twitter. Kabongo, wowed by the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, followed Nash right back, and thanked him for the original action. And just like that, a friendship was born.
"What a world it is," said Kabongo, now a freshman point guard at Texas. "It's crazy what media can do now."
According to Nash, that media can bring worlds together. In fact, Kabongo and Nash have never actually "met," at least not by the standard definition of the word. Yet the two make almost daily contact through a combination of Twitter and text messages. "(Nash) It's just another guy who is a mentor to me," Kabongo said. "He watches every game I play and gives me insight and pointers on what I can do better and how I can lead better. To have someone like him as my mentor is good."
That's an understatement. Nash is the consummate NBA floor general, leading the league in assists five times, including five of the last seven years. He has made the NBA All-Star team seven times, and has had more 50-40- 90 (field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw percentage) seasons than any player in NBA history. "Every time I finish a game he texts me letting me know what I can work on," Kabongo said. "I ask him what he sees... He's been very helpful."
Kabongo said that advice varied from staying low coming off ball screens to creating floaters, and keeping his dribble in the paint instead of immediately looking to pass the ball to a teammate.
"It's a lot easier to relate to what he's going through because he's a point guard," Nash said. "I can relate to what he's going through in his freshman year at a Division I program. I can relate to the lessons he's learning firsthand, more than could... to a power forward.
"Point guard is the hardest position in a lot of ways," Nash said. "There's no shortcut for the lessons that you come across, especially at this stage in his career." Nash's freshman year at Santa Clara, he scored 8.1 points and had 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24.0 minutes per game. The Longhorns depend on Kabongo more, with the freshman playing 27.7 minutes per game, scoring 9.7 points, grabbing 3.3 rebounds and dishing out 5.5 assists per contest.
But this is more than just one great point guard reaching out to another. Nash is a three-time winner of the Lionel Conacher Award as the Canadian male athlete of the year, and has also won the Lou Marsh Trophy as the Canadian athlete of the year. He played major minutes for the Canadian National Team, captaining the 2000 Olympic squad that won its round-robin group only to fall in the quarterfinals. He also led the Canadians in 2004 Olympic qualifying, though they fell just short of qualifying for the tournament. "Being Canadian, I root for all the guys," Nash said. "I followed Cory (Joseph) and Tristan (Thompson) at UT last year, but Twitter wasn't as big and I didn't have a chance to connect with them in time."
That wasn't the case with Kabongo, whom Nash sees as the next great Canadian point guard.
"The sky's the limit for him," Nash said. "I don't know about whether it's an 'if' so much as a 'when.' He has a great desire for the game, and that's the most important thing, even more than the talent he has. He has a great desire and passion for it. "I think he's capable right now of playing on the men's national team," Nash said. "But it's about him taking his time, learning his lessons and improving his game.
He'll be ready when the time comes."
Nash said he sees some similarities between his game and Kabongo's. "I think Myck's a better athlete than I am; he's more explosive," Nash said. "But we're both true point guards. He's constantly penetrating, and he's a playmaker, like I'm a playmaker. So I think there are a lot of similarities.
"He's a natural leader," Nash said. "He's very quick, has long arms, a very good feel for the game. He's a good passer, good in transition and has a lot of different
skills and attributes. The last thing to come will be his shooting, but he's going to get a lot better at that."
Nash said Kabongo's work ethic sets him up for success.
"It seems like that is a true characteristic of his personality and his approach to the game," Nash said. "That's the most important trait, it goes without saying. It's important to be working every day. If you're trying to get better, you will get better. It's just a matter of time.
"I'm just rooting for him," Nash said. "He's a great kid with a great passion for the game. He's a leader. I think it's going to be fun to watch him develop." Kabongo said his game would continue to develop thanks to the pointers from Nash. "Little things that I didn't know about, he's helping me with," Kabongo said. "He tells me how he does things, and I try to apply that. He tells me how he sees the
floor and reads what the defense is giving him. He's been really helpful in all that.
"Our relationship has grown," Kabongo said. "That's someone who's just a phenomenal player and person. He's a great guy."
Tags: Big 12, Texas Longhorns, Steve Nash, Myck Kabongo
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(hat tip to Frank Lee 
). You, Beas4pres, MarJJMar and many others are always saying we need a top 5 pick, but never say how we can realisticlly get one. Trading Gortat, Dudley, Frye, Hill, Nash or any other Sun will not get us a top 5 pick in return. Period. 
