Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash had high hopes when he joined the team. That of course wasn’t meant to be as Nash announced his retirement over the weekend through a letter on Players Tribune.
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In a press conference Tuesday, Nash was asked about how his decision to walk away from the game came about. According to the Los Angeles Times’ Eric Pincus, Nash opened up on how his injuries made the choice for him:
"I'd be lucky to play 10 games this year" – Nash, once he accepted where his body was #nashretires "Descision was sort of made for me"
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) March 24, 2015
Injuries, of course, hindered Nash from contributing much for the Lakers. In just his second regular season game with the team, he collided with Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard. The initial diagnosis was a broken leg. However, the injury led to others as Nash also suffered through nerve damage in his back.
He fought valiantly to make a return both last season as well as this year. After an appearance in the 2014-15 preseason, Nash’s body wasn’t able to stay healthy and his comeback was put on the back burner as the Lakers ruled him out of the season. While it was clear Nash’s career was coming to an end, the Lakers reportedly asked Nash to hold off his retirement announcement in hopes of dealing his expiring contract.
Despite the rough end of his career, Nash’s time in the league was definitely a memorable one. He revolutionized the point guard position and influenced many of today’s floor generals. In his final regular season game with the Lakers, Nash passed Mark Jackson for third place on the all-time assists list with 10,355.
[divide]Steve Nash’s Retirement Press Conference (Part Two)