One of the greatest point guards in NBA history is officially hanging up his sneakers.
Steve Nash announced his retirement on Saturday after 18 seasons in the NBA. He made his announcement via an open-letter at
ThePlayersTribune.com.
“I will likely never play basketball again. It’s bittersweet,” Nash wrote. “I already miss the game deeply, but I’m also really excited to learn to do something else.”
Nash used his retirement announcement as an opportunity to celebrate those who helped him along his journey from a relatively unknown Canadian kid with big dreams to a future Hall-of-Famer.
He recognized everyone from family members to coaches to training staffs in his farewell to the game. He also acknowledged teammates, including Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki and Amaré Stoudemire, among others.
“I remember when Dirk and I were nobodies,” he wrote. “He used to say over dinner sometimes, 'How are us two stiffs gonna make it in this league?' Somehow we made something of ourselves.”
Originally drafted by the Suns in the 1996 NBA Draft, Nash became an All-Star with the Mavericks, then became a two-time MVP after returning to Phoenix before playing in just 65 games over two seasons with the Lakers. He was named an All-Star eight times and made seven All-NBA teams during his career.
Nash finished his NBA career with 10,335 assists, more than Isaiah Thomas, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson or anyone else not named John Stockton or Jason Kidd. For his career, he averaged 14.3 points and 8.5 assists per game.
