Steve Nash credits Steph Curry for prompting his retirement after 2014 preseason game
On a recent episode of the "Mind the Game" podcast, co-host Steve Nash shared with LeBron James and guest Steph Curry the story of how he realized his NBA career was over — and Curry had something to do with it.
The turning point
The moment traced back to the 2014–15 preseason, when Nash’s Los Angeles Lakers faced the Golden State Warriors in Ontario, California. Golden State exploded for 39 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 116–75 victory. Curry scored 12 points in the first two and a half minutes and finished with 25 points in just 24 minutes of play.
Nash’s realization
Dealing with ongoing back problems, Nash struggled to keep up with the younger guard’s pace.
“I’m guarding Steph,” Nash said. “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 even if I was at 100 percent.”
A few days later, Nash knew it was time to step away.
“Man, like three or four more days of thinking on it, I was like… yeah. I think it’s time,” Nash joked to Curry. “You put me out!”
The final season
Back in July 2014, Nash had already announced that the upcoming season would likely be his last. At age 40, he played only three preseason games before his back issues flared up again, including the one against the Warriors. On October 23, 2014, less than a week before opening night, he was officially ruled out for the season and never played another NBA game.
Author’s summary
Steve Nash recalled how facing a red-hot Steph Curry in the 2014 preseason confirmed his decision to retire, closing the career of one of the NBA’s all-time great point guards.