Steve Nash, one of the greatest point guards to play the game has finally called it a career after 19 seasons in the NBA. No matter how hard he trained in order to get healthy again, it just was not happening for 41 year old Steve Nash. It was actually this time of year some 20 years ago when Nash led #10 seeded Santa Clara to victory over #7 Maryland in the NCAA Tournament which began giving Nash the recognition he deserved despite playing at a school not typically known for basketball.
Nash was drafted 15th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. After 2 seasons, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks where he began to make a name for himself. The nucleus of Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Michael Finley allowed the Mavericks to compete in the Western Conference.
While Nash proved he can play in the NBA with Dallas after coming from a small basketball school, he left via free agency to join the Phoenix Suns where he went on to win two MVP awards. Nash really took his play to another level in Phoenix where he was a double-double machine in points and assists. As Nash got older, the Suns as a franchise were not as competitive and Nash was still own the prowl for a NBA Championship. Nash was signed and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in April of 2012.
However, in his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, Nash has not been able to stay healthy. Hampered by nerve injuries, Nash has played a total of 65 games in his 3 years with the Lakers. The team has faltered having not posted a winning season in each of those 3 seasons. At age 41, with the state of his health, and the franchise, it seems the Lakers are not close to winning a title and that it’s time to call it a career.
Nash figures to be a Hall of Famer. Over the course of his 19 year career, he has recorded career averages of 14.3 points and 8.5 assists all the while shooting 90% from the free throw line, 43% from three point range, and 49% from the field. Although he never won a championship, he will certainly go down as one of the best point guards to ever play the game.