The bad news came down yesterday as it was announced that Steve Nash would not play in the 2014-15 season due to ongoing nerve issues in his back. It was extremely disappointing to hear considering how hard Nash worked to try and play this season.
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Many believe this will end Nash’s career, which means the talk on Nash’s place in history will begin in earnest. When asked about Nash’s all-time rank, Kobe Bryant had an interesting response according to the OC Register’s Bill Oram:
Asked where Nash will rank among point guards in history, Kobe said, "That's ESPN's job to rank people."
— Bill Oram (@billoram) October 25, 2014
Kobe and ESPN have had themselves an interesting week, and Bryant decided to take another shot when given the opportunity here. ESPN ranked Kobe the 40th best player in the NBA and released a feature piece blaming Kobe for the Lakers downfall. While Kobe called them idiots after the ranking, he had a different response to the article, saying it was all a part of the media cycle.
Even still, Bryant couldn’t resist another jab at their direction, especially when it comes to rankings. Nick Young was very unhappy with his ranking from ESPN, and many fans were up in arms when it came out that reigning MVP Kevin Durant was ranked eighth.
With two MVPs to his credit and recognition as one of the greatest shooters in the history of the NBA, Nash’s name will undoubtedly be among the greats of all-time, and a trip to the Hall of Fame is almost definitely in his future.
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