Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a Welsh mother, Jean, and English father, John, on February 7, 1974. His family moved to Regina, Saskatchewan when he was 18 months old, before settling in Victoria, British Columbia. He therefore holds British as well as Canadian citizenship. Before the family settled in Canada, his father played professional soccer in various parts of the world. Nash often played soccer and ice hockey with his younger brother Martin, and did not start playing basketball until he was 12 or 13 years old. In grade eight, however, he told his mother that one day he would play in the NBA and would become a star. He was neighbour to Future NHL stars Russ and Geoff Courtnall, who used to babysit him and played soccer coached by Nash's father.