Steve Nash Shares Hilarious Story About Steph Curry Prompting His Retirement
Steve Nash recounted a memorable moment when Steph Curry made him realize it was time to retire from professional basketball. After a 16-season career, including his final years with the Lakers, Nash felt the physical demands catching up to him.
Preseason Game That Made Nash Reflect
Nash described a preseason matchup in 2013 between the Lakers and the Warriors, where Curry's performance highlighted Nash's declining ability:
“We went to play these guys preseason in like Ontario, California, or somewhere. 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. And now I’m like 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.’”
This game was pivotal in Nash’s decision to retire. He recalled:
“Man, literally like three, four more days of thinking on it, I was like ‘Yeah, I think it’s time. I called Mitch Kupchak.”
Reflecting on His Career and Retirement
Nash expressed mixed feelings about retiring, saying:
“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.”
He also shared how he initially felt like a mentor when Curry entered the league:
“When he came into the league, I still felt like the big brother a little bit, I still feel like I’ve got the upper hand here.”
Summary
Steve Nash humorously credits Steph Curry’s dominance in a preseason game as the moment he accepted it was time to retire after a great career.