Steve Nash Announces His Retirement

Steve Nash is retiring from basketball, he announced in a story on The Players' Tribune titled "Life After Basketball." After thanking a couple dozen people, from coach Don Nelson who told him "'If you're a dominant fucking player — dominate!'" to his family, Nash wrote that he is excited to try something new:

I will likely never play basketball again. It's bittersweet. I already miss the game deeply, but I'm also really excited to learn to do something else. This letter is for anyone who's taken note of my career. At the heart of this letter, I'm speaking to kids everywhere who have no idea what the future holds or how to take charge of their place in it. When I think of my career, I can't help but think of the kid with his ball, falling in love. That's still what I identify with and did so throughout my entire story.

Nash is currently in the final year of a three-year deal with the Lakers, but during the preseason he re-aggravated his balky back while carrying luggage, and was ruled out for the entire season. Two weeks before that he sounded cautiously optimistic about playing in the 2015-16 season, but obviously things changed.

Nash retires as an eight-time All-Star, two-time MVP, and third all-time in assists, but he never won that elusive NBA Championship, only advancing as far as the Western Conference Finals with the Mavericks and Suns.

[ The Players' Tribune]

Photo via Kevork Djansezian/Getty