Steve Nash Details Stephen Curry’s Role in His NBA Retirement
Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash revealed that Stephen Curry played a significant role in his decision to retire after the 2013-14 season. Nash spent his final two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, mixing with stars Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard in what became one of the least successful "super teams" in NBA history. After that chapter, hopes were high, but age began to take its toll on Nash.
Conversation on “Mind the Game” Show
During Tuesday’s episode of Nash and LeBron James’ “Mind the Game” podcast, Nash shared with Curry, this week's guest, how competing against him confirmed it was time to retire.
“You might know this, but you deserve a little bit of putting me out to pasture, a little bit of my retirement story,” Nash said. “It’s not something I like to talk about in public a lot. When he came in the league, I still felt like the big brother, you know, I still did. And then he started becoming who he is, and the pendulum shifted.”
The Challenge of Competing with Curry
Nash wanted to test his physical condition against the much younger Curry, but the experience proved tougher than anticipated.
“And so we went to play these guys’ preseason in Ontario, California, or somewhere. We came out, I’m guarding Steph. I think they put up like 50 in the first quarter. Maybe it was 45, but it felt like a 50-piece. He’s running everywhere, my back is broke, everything’s jacked. I couldn’t have stopped him if I was 100%, and I’m dragging around.”
Summary
Facing Stephen Curry’s unstoppable energy convinced Steve Nash it was time to end his NBA journey.