(AP)

Friday, Steve Nash turned 40. He’s the oldest player in the NBA.

What does that mean for the guy tasked with covering him, Sixers point guard Michael Carter-Williams?

“He’s Steve Nash. That’s what I tell him,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “I don’t care if he’s 60. He’s Steve Nash.”

A two-time league MVP, Nash has been a shadow of himself in his one-and-a-half years with the Lakers. He’s played only seven games this season, while dealing with nerve problems with his back.

Still, he knows a thing or two about using what he’s got. Nash, in his 18^th season, has nearly as much NBA experience as the Sixers’ starting five, which collectively has 22 years under its belt. Before Friday’s game against the Sixers, Nash was going through a pregame workout routine that would’ve elicited a smile from a fitness guru like Brown.

“He is so special and what I learned over the years is you couldn’t guard him,” Brown said. “He would sniff a pick-and-roll scheme out, and pick it apart. I learned you couldn’t show him a steady diet of anything because he learned his way to navigate through it.

“With Michael, I hope his length can bother Steve. I hope Steve plays his age. But his fitness level, his pride, he’s so intelligent … and he is just one of my personal all-time favorites.”