Steve Nash Shares Hilarious Story of Steph Curry Prompting His Retirement
Steve Nash recounted a memorable moment when Steph Curry made him realize it was time to retire. The Suns legend spent the final two seasons of his 16-year career with the Lakers, by which time the physical toll was obvious.
Preseason Game Against the Warriors
Nash described a 2013 preseason matchup between the Lakers and the Warriors in Ontario, California, where he tested if he could still compete effectively.
“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.’ 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.”
Reflecting on Retirement
Nash admitted that while he rarely discusses retirement publicly, that game convinced him he deserved to step aside.
“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.”
Relationship with Steph Curry
Despite the competitive moment, Nash felt a protective, older brother role toward Curry when he first 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.”
Ultimately, the game against Curry served as a humorous yet stark reminder that Nash's time had come to move on.
Summary: Steve Nash humorously reveals how a dominant preseason performance by Steph Curry helped him accept it was time to retire after 16 demanding seasons in the NBA.