It was only a matter of time, but Steve Nash has officially announced that he is retiring from the NBA.
I'm retiring from basketball. Thanks for all the love through the years. http://t.co/CMqDBSYIrr pic.twitter.com/iNTG6eap4D
— Steve Nash (@SteveNash) March 21, 2015
In October, Nash was ruled out for the entire 2014-15 season due to a recurring back injury that had limited him to 15 games during the 2013-14 season. At age 40 at the start of the season, this was supposed to be his last year in the league, his last chance at proving he still had something left to give the Los Angeles Lakers.
But in what would have been his 19th season, Nash’s body gave out on him, leaving Phoenix Suns fans and NBA loyalists to deal with bitter Lakers fans calling him greedy and labeling him as the problem with their franchise.
But for a class act like Nash, the news of his retirement should drown out any remaining criticism with the overwhelming praise and homage worthy of one of the greatest point guards of all time. And let’s be honest: no one will ever remember Nash for his years with the Lakers anyway.
It was during his prime in Phoenix that Nash teamed up with Mike D’Antoni and Amar’e Stoudemire to revolutionize the game of basketball. With the Seven Seconds Or Less Suns, D’Antoni and Nash changed the NBA forever, with a high-paced, high scoring offense that utilized the pick-and-roll in way no one had since John Stockton and Karl Malone.
Said it before: Nash and D'Antoni changed the NBA together, and forever. Just ask Pop, and any other thinking coach. Revolutionaries.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) March 21, 2015
In his retirement announcement, Nash had this to say about his time with the Suns:
"“It will always hurt that Phoenix Suns fans didn’t get the championship they deserved during our run. Yes, we had some bad luck but I will always look back at it and think, I could’ve made one more shot, or not forced a turnover, or made a better pass. But I don’t regret anything. The arena was always sold out and rocking. It was the time of my life. Thanks Phoenix.”"
Talk about a class act. Here’s a player who gave the Valley of the Sun its best basketball since Charles Barkley in the 90s, wasting the last few years of his prime on losing teams in the process, and yet he’s apologizing.
Nash never climbed to the top of the NBA ladder, but after 18 seasons in the league, two MVP awards, four Western Conference Finals appearances and 10,335 assists (third all-time), his place in the pantheon of all-time great point guards is unquestionable.
In his prime, Nash was an electric passer, a crafty and super efficient scorer and a selfless leader. A number of bad breaks prevented Nash’s Suns from ever reaching the NBA Finals, but he reinvigorated basketball in Phoenix, brought pride to the game in Canada and became one of the most respected floor generals the game has ever seen.
Father Time gets everyone in the end. The only possible solace for Suns fans when their hero left for the rival Lakers was that perhaps he’d finally win a championship — even if it was alongside Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard.
But Nash’s health deteriorated as soon as he left Arizona (and the Suns’ warlock training staff), preventing him from ever making an impact and leaving the world under the rightful impression that his time in Phoenix was always going to be the peak of his Hall of Fame career.
Steve Nash not winning a Championship is an absolute travesty, and always will be. The only missed memento in an otherwise flawless career.
— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) March 21, 2015
Nash is officially done, and your heart has to go out to a guy who’s spent the last few years trying to just get his body right and prove the doubters wrong. It was never about the money for Nash, who postponed his retirement to try to help the Lakers so they could trade him.
Now that his time is done, it’s time to throw out the criticism and remember the career of a player who will be in the Hall of Fame in five years and in the Suns Ring of Honor as soon as possible.
In the end, Nash really says it best himself:
"“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 ever 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.”"
Next: Remembering Steve Nash's Hall Of Fame Career