Steve Nash Revealed How Stephen Curry Became a Defining Moment in His Career
In a recent episode of the Mind The Game podcast, Steve Nash opened up about a deeply personal and unexpected story involving himself and Stephen Curry — a story that, as he explained, ultimately influenced his decision to retire from professional basketball.
The former Canadian point guard recalled that the defining moment came during a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors, when he was assigned to guard the emerging star from San Francisco. It was then that Nash realized he was no longer the player he once had been.
A Turning Point on the Court
During the conversation, which featured LeBron James and Stephen Curry as guests, Nash shared how that game forced him to confront the physical limits he was facing late in his career. The experience, he said, made him reflect on his future in the NBA.
“My nerves were shot, and I just couldn’t recover. I thought, ‘I have to figure this out.’ It had been a week since my last game. We were going to play them in the preseason, and I kept thinking, ‘I have to play through the injury. And if not, what’s the point?’”
At that moment, Curry joined the conversation with a laugh, recalling their preseason matchup in Ontario, California. Nash explained how keeping pace with Curry, who was already demonstrating his remarkable skill, revealed how much his own athleticism had declined.
“We got on the court, and I was guarding Steph. I think they scored like 50 points in the first quarter — maybe 45, but it felt like 50. My back was shot, my body was done.”
Author’s Summary
Nash described how a preseason encounter with a rising Stephen Curry highlighted his own physical limits and became a moment of clarity that guided his decision to retire from the NBA.