Steve Nash played his last two seasons for the LA Lakers before retiring in 2014. Nash joined Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in 2012, in pursuit of a championship. However, his time in Los Angeles was nothing short of a “disaster.”
Nash played 50 games in his first season and only 15 the following before he exited with a nerve issue. In total, Nash missed over 100 games in his last two seasons, eventually announcing his retirement from the game.
However, in November 2014, when Nash was out for the season with the injury, he posted a video of himself swinging his golf club. The video had Lakers fans upset over the video, forcing Nash to defend himself.
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According to SBNation, he posted a long message for the Lakers fans, explaining small details of his injury. Nash wrote that he had "three bulging disks (a tear in one), stenosis of the nerve route and spondylolisthesis," resulting from a long NBA career. He also revealed that he often suffered from sciatica and was unable to even drive his car after games.
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The two-time MVP also admitted in the letter to the Lakers fans that his stint with the Lakers had been a disaster.
"I've always been one of the hardest workers in the game and I say that at the risk of what it assumes," Nash wrote. "The past 2 years I've worked like a dog to not only overcome these setbacks but to find the form that could lift up and inspire the fans in LA as my last chapter.
"Obviously it's been a disaster on both fronts but I've never worked harder, sacrificed more or faced such a difficult challenge mentally and emotionally."
Steve Nash also issued clarification for his golf video
Addressing the video of him playing golf, Steve Nash clarified that, unlike other sports that he was able to play, the NBA was much more difficult.
"Fortunately those other activities aren't debilitating, but playing an NBA game usually puts me out a couple of weeks," he added. "Once you're asked to accelerate and decelerate with Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving it is a completely different demand."
Nash was ready to make a comeback during the 2014-15 season. However, even before the season started, he re-aggravated his back injury. He did not play any regular-season games that season. In March 2015, Nash announced his retirement from the NBA.
Steve Nash played 18 years in the NBA and retired at 40. He was nothing less than a magician on the basketball court. He played his first two seasons with the Phoenix Suns before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. He played his next six years with Dirk Nowitzki before joining the Suns again in free agency.
In the first two seasons in his return to the Suns, Nash won two back-to-back MVPs. He played the next eight seasons with the Suns before leaving for the Lakers in 2012.
In 18 NBA seasons, Steve Nash made All-NBA teams seven times. He was the assists leader five times, and a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. The eight-time All-Star averaged 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game.
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