This past weekend another former Los Angeles Lakers player was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as point guard Steve Nash was a member of the 2018 class.
Obviously, Nash’s prime years were spent with the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, but he finished out his career in Los Angeles. Of course, things didn’t go too well for Nash and the Lakers.
He suffered a knee injury in just his second game with the team, which ultimately aggravated back issues and nerve damage that plagued Nash throughout Lakers tenure. Nash ultimately played in just 65 games over two seasons while missing the entirety of what would have been his final season in 2015.
Despite that, Nash still cherishes his time with the Lakers. In an appearance on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Nash admitted that while things weren’t ideal with the Lakers, he relished the opportunity to play for them:
“Getting a chance to finish with the Lakers, it went horribly wrong. But it was an incredible opportunity and a pleasure to try and do whatever I could at the end of my career. I never worked harder in my life. And I will never forget the graciousness and support I got from the Lakers as well.”
The support from the Lakers is a big thing to note. It would have been very easy for the franchise to become frustrated with Nash’s consistent injury problems, but the organization never wavered and that is a testament to the integrity of the franchise.
During his time with the Lakers, Nash wasn’t the most popular player in the eyes of the fans who expected much better, but that does nothing to detract from his Hall of Fame career. Nash enjoyed every minute of his NBA career, even the ones in L.A. that didn’t go according to plan.
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