Steve Nash

Steve Nash
Founder | Steve Nash Enterprises

Although it's likely that 38-year-old basketball star Steve Nash will hang up his high-tops for good within the next two years, he won't find himself short of things to do. The starting point guard for the Phoenix Suns and two-time NBA MVP has a passion for business and philanthropy — and participation in myriad organizations to prove it.

Through his company, Steve Nash Enterprises, Nash has equity in a dozen entrepreneurial ventures — a film-production company, soccer's Vancouver Whitecaps and a skin-care startup among them. One of the most recent additions to Nash's portfolio is Liquid Nutrition Group Inc. of Oakville, Ont. In 2011, the smoothie, food, vitamin and supplement store concept inked a three-year deal with Nash that positioned him as an equity partner and spokesperson, with the mutual goal of franchising stores across selected markets in Canada and the U.S. Nash and a business partner are leading the rollout of 20 locations in B.C. "Nash isn't just a pitchman and a shareholder," says Glenn Young, president of Liquid Nutrition, which went public last May. "He has direct involvement in the company — and that involvement will grow when he retires from basketball."

But Nash surely will leave time to build upon his impressive body of philanthropic work. In 2001, he launched the Steve Nash Foundation, which helps underprivileged children in Arizona and his native B.C. improve their health, personal development and education. "I really feel the need to try to help people," says Nash. "As a professional athlete, you are in a position and given the opportunity to really have an impact on more than just your immediate surroundings. For me to be able to do that is something that's sometimes challenging but always worthwhile."

* Bing: Most valuable celebrity endorsements
* The key to starting a successful business

More from PROFIT:
* The 30 best business practices of all time
* Quiz: The past 30 years of small business and economics
* Arlene Dickinson talks about the triumphs, mistakes and the value of a balanced life
* Sales compensation plans: How to motivate your employees