Fast Company, February 2010

Steve Nash graces the cover of this month’s issue of Fast Company magazine.

The accompanying story focuses on Nash transforming his public image from a reluctant sports superstar who once shunned public light and endorsement oportunities to one who now embraces the spotlight and the subsequent philanthropic benefit he can garner from it.

Photo Credit: Patrik Giardino

His willingness to transform came from his realization that he needs to prep for a life after basketball – one in which he hopes he can make a real difference in the world.  A large part of his new carefully-crafted  public persona comes from his ability to maintain control of his assets by using his own concepts (and production team) and leveraging new technology.

While Nash says in the article, that these days professional athletes “think of themselves as a brand, but that’s not my way of thinking,” ultimately it is his personal brand that he is honing to both personal and public benefit.

His newest startup, Apoko, grew out of his affinity for social media. On Facebook, where he has nearly 600,000 fans (more than 100,000 people follow him on Twitter), he shares videos of himself — playing a pickup game in China with locals; hanging out on the set of Katherine Heigl’s next movie, Life As We Know It (he has a cameo); and sweating through Whitecaps training. While playing a charity game, he and the Clippers’ Baron Davis discovered a mutual interest in film, which led to their making a spoof of Will Ferrell’s Step Brothers. The video attracted more than 600,000 views on YouTube. As two of the most Web-savvy NBA players, they decided to help other athletes market themselves online. “We’ll help them build a fan base and create content,” Nash says. “That’s the hard part for players.”

That “hard part,” whether Nash will admit it, is only as strong as individual branding.  Were Nash (and Davis) not the commodity that they are, it’d be difficult to gain an upward of half-a-million online fans to opt-in to the athlete’s social media space.

Nash’s reflectance is ultimately part of his appeal – a stark contrast to the egotistical world of sports we know.

The model could very well serve as a blueprint for athletes in years to come.

You can read the complete story here:  How Steve Nash Shines in Basketball – and Business.