I Love The 90s: Nick Van Exel pic.twitter.com/lfYXZNT1mP
— David Astramskas (@Redapples2021) July 3, 2021
I don’t care that Nick Van Exel only has one All-Star game to his name.
Zero All-NBA honors? Don’t care either.
No championship? Nope.
Never led the league in any stats? I still don’t give a F.
When I think about the most clutch players of all-time, his name ranks up there with the always-mentioned legends: MJ, Bird, Jerry West, etc.
When I think of the deadliest 3-point shooters ever, I think of him.
When I think of point guards who were unguardable when they wanted to score, there are very few Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers I would put in the same sentence as Nick Van Exel. Seriously!
When I hear people talk about some of Steph Curry’s moves and shots, I often act like an Amazon list and say, “If you like Steph Curry, you might like Nick Van Exel.”
You may think this is all hyperbolic nonsense or nostalgic talk. Well, some of it might be. You see, in the mid to late 90s, I always had a VHS tape in the VCR, ready to record, and a big reason was the 90s Lakers squad with Nick, Eddie Jones, Robert Horry (Cedric before him), Kobe, and Shaq. They were one of the most exciting highlight-making teams ever, and the subject of two of my first YouTube mixes from a decade ago.
Nick, now in his 40s, is spending his current post-playing days coaching. But to me, he’s still that electrifying guard in his 20s throwing behind-the-back passes, cuffing the ball before a layup, and shooting 3-point daggers and funky free throws. If you aren’t familiar with the things I just mentioned, I suggest you watch the video at the top (multiple times) and the following videos, which will give you a sense of the excitement he generated.
And I should mention that, although most remember him as a Laker, his career-best in points and assists were with the Nuggets. And some of his best playoff games were with the Mavs. A favorite of mine was in 2003, when he followed up a 36-point (14/19 FG) performance off the bench with 40 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.
I also want to mention that I wasn’t the only person who thought this highly of Nick in the 90s. Charlie Sheen was asked by Upper Deck in 1995 to name his five favorite players for a trading card. His list:
- Michael Jordan
- Nick Van Exel
- Penny Hardaway
- Horace Grant
- David Robinson
Granted, Sheed was probably high on drugs in 1995, but I was just high on these things during that year.
- Nick highlights
- The Shaq & Penny show in Orlando
- The early days of the internet that I accessed with my dial-up modem that prevented anyone in my house from using the phone
- Wu-Tang solo albums (Raekwon, GZA, ODB)
- An insane amount of great movies, including HEAT, SEVEN, GET SHORTY, CASINO, USUAL SUSPECTS, HATE, WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, DEVIL IN THE BLUE DRESS, CLOCKERS, NIXON, AND CRIMSON TIDE
- And an equally insane amount of great music, including albums by Bjork, Big L, Radiohead, Mobb Deep, D’Angelo, Foo Fighters, Goodie Mob, Tupac (ME AGAINST THE WORLD is my favorite album of his), Moby, Bone, Pharcyde and the Chemical Brothers.
Sorry about all of that. Let’s get back to the real “Nick At Night” (only ’90s kids will probably get that) , who was also the first person to bust Kobe Bryant’s ass.