Steve Nash Credits Steph Curry for Pushing Him into Retirement
On a recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast, Steve Nash shared a humorous story with LeBron James and Steph Curry about the moment he realized his NBA career was coming to an end—with Curry playing a key role.
The 2014-15 Preseason Encounter
The turning point happened during the 2014-15 preseason, when Nash and the Los Angeles Lakers played against the Golden State Warriors in Ontario, California. The Warriors dominated from the start, scoring 39 points in the first quarter and winning 116–75 overall. Steph Curry scored 12 points within the first 2:30 minutes and finished with 25 points in just 24 minutes.
Nash’s Struggles Against Curry
Already suffering from back issues, Nash knew he lacked the physical ability to keep up with Curry’s speed and agility. He recalled,
“I’m guarding Steph. They put up like 50 in the first quarter—maybe it was 45, but it felt like a 50-piece. I couldn’t have stopped him if I was 100 percent.”
The Decision to Retire
Just days after the game, Nash came to terms with his limits. He joked to Curry,
“Man, literally like three more, four more days of thinking on it, I was like… yeah. I think it’s time. You put me out!”
In fact, Nash had already announced in July 2014 that the upcoming season would be his last. The 40-year-old point guard played only three preseason games before his back problems worsened, including the game against the Warriors. On October 23, 2014—less than a week before the season opener—Nash was ruled out for the entire season and never returned to play another NBA game.
Summary
Steve Nash humorously credits Steph Curry’s impressive preseason performance for making him realize it was time to retire, marking the end of his NBA career due to persistent back issues.