Live Video from Steve Nash's Automobile

Steve Nash is a point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. He’s one of the 10 best to ever play the position. He’s a two-time MVP. The league honored him those accolades in back-to-back seasons, something that they have bestowed upon only eight other players, including Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Sayng he’s in good company would be a serious understatement.

Last night, after his team suffered an intense 130 – 124 loss against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers, Nash drove home from America West Arena to his sick Scottsdale pad in whatever car $65 million over five years affords. I know because I saw him do it. There was a webcam mounted on the dashboard pointed right at the left-leaning, Canadian-born, superstar athlete, and for his 20-minute work commute, I and around 350 other viewers watched him answer questions from fans, streaming live from the driver’s seat.

Steve Nash Live is an ongoing promotional tool for Live Video’s new live video offerings. Despite its name, the site only recently added live streaming capabilities. Before, it was probably best known for being the home base of the breastacular Bikini News

and the pre-Roommates Iron Sink Media productions of Soup of the Day and Noho/Weho Girls.

The video was shoddy. The audio cut in and out, but it was still pretty cool. Part of it had to do with Nash. He’s a badass. But the experience was also entertaining. The camera cut between the baller and live feeds of fans asking questions, many of which, were surprisingly good (Who are you going to vote for? How do you feel about the recent acquisition of Shaq?).

We’ve talked about it here before, but if this live streaming stuff is going to gain any traction, it’s got to attract bigger and bigger stars to the camera. I suppose there’s a business model somewhere that benefits the long-tail of live video, making companies who can establish thousands of channels with only a few dozen viewers a piece turn a profit. But hits work, too.

Maxing out at 350 viewers certainly isn’t something to brag about, but Steve Nash Live is the beginning of greater spectacle coming to the space.