Steve Nash credits Steph Curry for his retirement decision
On the latest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast, co-host Steve Nash shared with LeBron James and guest Steph Curry a story about the moment he knew his NBA career was over — and Curry played a role in that realization.
The preseason game that changed everything
The turning point came during the 2014–15 preseason, when Nash’s Los Angeles Lakers faced the Golden State Warriors in Ontario, California. Golden State exploded from the start, scoring 39 points in the first quarter and ultimately winning 116–75.
Steph Curry scored 12 points in the opening 2 minutes and 30 seconds, finishing with 25 points in just 24 minutes of play.
Nash’s realization
Already struggling with persistent back problems, Nash realized he could no longer keep up with the pace of the game — or with Curry whipping around screens.
“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,”
he said, laughing at the memory. A few days later, Nash accepted that his playing days were over.
“Man, literally like three, 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 end of a legendary career
In July 2014, Nash had already announced that the upcoming season would be his last. The then-40-year-old point guard appeared in only three preseason games before his back pain flared up again — including that matchup against Golden State. On October 23, 2014, less than a week before the regular season started, he was ruled out for the year and never played in the NBA again.
Author’s summary: Steve Nash humorously recalled how facing Steph Curry in a 2014 preseason game convinced him it was time to retire after years of battling back injuries.