Steve Nash Tells Hilarious Story of Steph Curry Forcing His Retirement
Steve Nash shared a humorous story about how Steph Curry made him realize it was time to end his basketball career. The legendary Suns point guard spent his final two seasons with the Lakers, and by then, his 16-year career had begun to take its toll.
The Preseason Game That Changed Everything
Nash recalled a 2013 preseason game between the Lakers and the Warriors that helped him decide to retire. He wanted to see if he could still perform at a high level, but things didn’t go as planned.
“We went to play these guys preseason in like Ontario, California, or somewhere,” Nash said on Mind the Game. “I think they put up like 50 in the first quarter. Maybe it was 45, but it felt like a 50-piece, right? I couldn’t have probably stopped him even if I were 100 percent.”
Nash explained that he was struggling physically and mentally during that game.
“I’m dragging around, Steve Kerr putting me in every action. I’m looking over at Steve like, ‘C’mon Stevie.’ Alvin Gentry over there laughing at me like, ‘No, let’s see what you got.’”
After reflecting for a few days, Nash finally accepted that it was time to retire.
“Literally like three, four more days of thinking on it, I was like, ‘Yeah, I think it’s time [to retire]. I called Mitch Kupchak.’”
Nash on Curry’s Impact
Nash gave Curry credit for unintentionally pushing him into retirement, acknowledging the young star’s tremendous skill and energy at the time.
“You deserve a little bit of putting me out to pasture, a little bit of my retirement. It’s not something I like to talk about in public a lot. When he came into the league, I still felt like the big brother a little bit, I still felt like I’ve got the upper hand here.”
Summary
Steve Nash’s witty recollection of a 2013 preseason game shows how Steph Curry’s brilliance helped him realize it was time to end his remarkable career.