Steve Nash Tells Hilarious Story of Steph Curry Forcing His Retirement
Steve Nash recently shared a story about the moment he realized it was time to retire, crediting Steph Curry for making that decision obvious. The Suns legend, who concluded his 18-year NBA career with the Lakers, admitted that his body was no longer keeping up by his final seasons.
The Game That Changed Everything
Nash recalled a 2013 preseason game between the Lakers and the Warriors held in Ontario, California. That night, he wanted to see if he could still perform at a high level. However, Curry and the Warriors made a quick statement.
“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. And now I’m like dragging around Steve Kerr putting me in every action.”
He went on to describe how tough that moment was for him as a veteran facing the rising generation of stars.
“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.’ I’m like, man, 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.”
Passing the Torch
Nash admitted that seeing young players like Curry dominate the game made him accept that a new era had begun.
“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 feel like I’ve got the upper hand here.”
With that realization, Nash gracefully stepped away from the game, acknowledging Curry’s role in closing one chapter and opening another in NBA history.
Author’s Summary
Steve Nash humorously recalls how facing Steph Curry in a 2013 preseason game made him realize his era was ending and it was time to retire.