SHOWDOWN

PHOENIX 2025 RECAP

We just couldn’t let our 13th year of Showdown end without bringing the heat to the desert, where our favorite #13 first rose in the Phoenix sun.

The first ever Steve Nash Foundation Showdown PHX kicked off on December 12, 2025, with new faces and familiar friends, and a whole new slate of up-and-coming ballers from around the city.

Another sunny December day in the Valley welcomed athletes from north, south, east and west, as we gathered on a beautiful balcony.  Our local friends at Cartel Roasting Co. greeted weary travelers and late night workers with their premium cold brew, as players learned their team assignments and got kitted up in style. With the incredible response to our June NYC look, we knew we had a repeat contender in Nike’s T90 jerseys and Streetgato kicks; with the slight desert chill, Nike added in some cozy fleece in coordinating hues.  Players met, mingled, and laughed, discovering the small-world-of-soccer connections they shared.  Local artist Vick Almighty stopped by to gift Steve with a beautiful pair of custom boots, a perfect symbiosis of T90 uppers with a Jordan soul/sole.  The shoes left us pretty speechless, so we went straight to the artist himself for a full description:

     A true one-of-one sneaker created for the one and only Steve Nash.  This custom pair was designed to honor and merge both worlds that define his legacy: basketball and football (soccer).

     The upper is constructed from deconstructed Nike Total 90 (T90) boots – an iconic silhouette celebrated throughout the football world.  Each pair was carefully taken apart, including the removal of the original outside, to make way for a new foundation.

     The sneaker is finished with a Jordan 1 sole, a timeless and unmistakeable symbol of basketball.  Together, these elements form a never-before-seen hybrid that bridges two sports through one wearable design.

     The shoe is 100% Showdown ready, fully custom-fitted in Steve’s size, and finished with custom insoles featuring the Steve Nash Foundation alongside his original Nike signature logo – a final detail that ties purpose and legacy together.

     A true collector’s piece, where craftsmanship, history and purpose meet – created exclusively to support the Steve Nash Foundation.

Thank you, Vick!

As the sun began to set, the Steve Nash Foundation Showdown PHX began with a youth Showcase, featuring local teen soccer players in fast-paced, four-minute, five-a-side matches, with a winner-stays-on format, expertly refereed by Melissa Beck and Joel Votaw.  At Showcase’s conclusion, Team Blue came out on top.  The youth then took turns competing in LALIGA’s Community Wins Crossbar Challenge, with the winner awarded a LALIGA prize pack (and all of our athletes gifted a beau LALIGA Showdown water bottle).

“While millions around the world know Steve Nash for his remarkable NBA career, he has also been a passionate advocate for expanding access to soccer in the U.S.,” said Nicolás García Hemme, Managing Director of LALIGA North America. “Through the Steve Nash Foundation and its Showdown soccer events, Steve and the Foundation are championing the kind of free play, creativity, and community access that have shaped generations of players in places like Spain and Latin America.

“That is why LALIGA is proud to stand alongside Steve and his Foundation. Our commitment is not just to bringing the world’s game to U.S. fans, but ensuring that youth and adults alike have real opportunities to play, develop, and reach their full potential, regardless of means.”

Showcase players:

Team Stripes: Arianna Broderick, Carlos Ramos, Dylan Ramirez, Roberto Chaidez, Robert Interiano.

Team Purple: Emmanuel Ramirez, Keelan Shardonofsky, Nicolas Moreno, Yair Anaya, Yamilett Gil.

Team Blue: Alexza Valdez, Izzy Gomez, Jose Zepeda, Julian Moreno, Parrish Sherron.

As Showcase athletes enjoyed a courtside dinner, courtesy of Pane Bianco, Showdown athletes took the pitch.  Of the roster, half had played in one of the previous fifteen Steve Nash Foundation Showdowns; together, they represented one Olympic Gold Medal; more than 300 US Mens National Team Caps; 12 nationalities, and an age range of 17-51, proving that any age is the right age for a kick-about among friends.

Showdown athletes:

Team Stripe: DaMarcus Beasley, Bryce Duke, Alecko Eskandarian, Pa-Modou Kah, Anaiya Miyazato, Simone Sandri.

Team Purple: Mix Diskerud, Sydney Leroux, Mike Magee, Pablo Mastroeni, Rodney Wallace.

Team Blue: Stu Holden, Kyle Martino, Martin Nash, Steve Nash, Kyah Zurek.

Team Purple took home the concrete trophy (at least Rodney attempted to – the trophy is thankfully just heavy enough to encourage him to leave it with us in Phoenix . . . . ), crafted by local Phoenix artist Ray Ramirez.

Showdown’s tradition of playing in public spaces emphasizes that soccer can be played anywhere, and the importance of access to youth sports done right, part of the Steve Nash Foundation’s latest initiative, Just Play.  “The chronic over-professionalization and early specialization of youth sports can be really detrimental to kids’ health, the opposite of what we hope from engagement in sports, and it’s made everything so formal these days,” said Steve Nash.  “We risk stifling kids’ creativity and ability to express themselves – which is such a critical benefit of play – when things are so programmed.  What I hope kids can take away from Showdown is the idea that, at any age, and throughout your life, you can still go out and find your fun in sport.  Play anywhere.  Play in an alley, play in a driveway, play in a park.  But just play.”

The Steve Nash Foundation Showdown PHX also connected local teens and young adults to workforce education and development opportunities, with Rosendin providing on-site engagement opportunities to explore electricity and how it interacts in our daily lives.

“Investing in youth development – whether skilled labor training or youth sports programs like Steve Nash Foundation Showdown PHX – demonstrates our commitment to helping create pathways to success by opening kids’ minds to possibilities they might never have considered,” said Brandon Stephens, Vice President at Rosendin Electric, Inc. “At Rosendin, we see how sports teach the same fundamentals we value in electrical construction, like teamwork, problem-solving, and perseverance, and give people of all ages confidence and skills to follow their passion.”

The street soccer styling of Showdown PHX (and this summer’s Steve Nash Foundation Showdown in New York City) is a format utilized by Street FC, founded by 9-time SNF Showdown athlete, USL investor, and former MLS and USMNT player Kyle Martino.  Launching in the Valley soon, Street FC – the country’s largest street soccer community – will bring the high-energy format of Showdown to Phoenix spaces.  Learn more and sign up at StreetFC.com.

Following the match, we headed to local favorite Pane Bianco for (what we thought was to be) a light aprés le jeu; instead, we were treated to an incredible 7-course feast that restored tired athletes, hosts, support teams, and guests.  Thank you Chris, Seth and Team Bianco!

The Steve Nash Foundation Showdown PHX was sponsored by LALIGA, Rosendin Electric, Nike, BlueCross BlueShield Arizona, Bell Bank, and the Phoenix Suns Phoenix Mercury Foundation, with great support from Cartel Roasting Co., Pane Bianco, Sator Soccer, Event Water Solutions, Ortho Arizona, Trader Joe’s, and the Driver Provider.

We already can’t wait to be back — follow us on Instagram @stevenashfdn and sign up for our emails to stay in the know.  Hope to see you next year!