Steve Nash is retiring from the NBA after an 18-year career that included two MVP awards and eight appearances in the All-Star Game. Nash announced his retirement in an essay for the Player's Tribune, where he detailed his time in the league from his rise with the Dallas Mavericks to his unceremonious end with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Steve Nash announces retirement from the NBA
The two-time MVP is finally calling it quits.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The 41-year-old Nash had one of the most distinguished careers of his generation after being the No. 15 pick in the 1996 NBA Draft out of Santa Clara. He was a three-time All-NBA selection and led the league in assists five times. Nash is also a four-time member of the 50-40-90 club, meaning he shot over 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from the three-point line and 90 percent on free throws.
Nash teamed up with Dirk Nowitzki for six great years in Dallas, but really broke out when he signed with the Phoenix Suns as a free gent in the summer of 2004. Nash led the Suns to the conference finals his first two years in Phoenix but never reached the NBA Finals.
Nash wrote:
I will likely never play basketball again. It’s bittersweet. I already miss the game deeply, but I’m also really excited to learn to do something else. This letter is for anyone who’s taken note of my career. At the heart of this letter, I’m speaking to kids everywhere who have no idea what the future holds or how to take charge of their place in it. When I think of my career, I can’t help but think of the kid with his ball, falling in love. That’s still what I identify with and did so throughout my entire story.
The end of Nash’s career was defined by injuries in Los Angeles. He did not play a game for the Lakers this season, and only appeared in 15 games last year.
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