Steve Nash Credits Steph Curry for Prompting His Retirement
On the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast, Steve Nash shared a humorous story with LeBron James and guest Steph Curry about the moment he realized his NBA career was coming to an end—and Curry played a key role.
The Defining Preseason Game
This moment occurred during the 2014-15 preseason when Nash and the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Golden State Warriors in Ontario, California. The Warriors exploded with a 39-point first quarter and cruised to a 116–75 victory.
- Curry scored 12 points in the first 2:30 and finished with 25 points in just 24 minutes.
- Nash, struggling with back issues, recognized he couldn’t keep up with Curry's quickness around screens.
“I’m guarding Steph,” Nash said. “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.”
The Moment of Realization
A few days after the game, Nash had a clear understanding of his physical limits.
“Man, literally like three more, four more days of thinking on it, I was like… yeah. I think it’s time,” Nash joked to Curry. “You put me out!”
In July 2014, Nash already announced the upcoming season would be his last. He played only three preseason games before his back issues worsened.
On October 23, 2014, less than a week before the regular season opener, Nash was ruled out for the season and never returned to NBA play.
Summary
Steve Nash humorously credits Steph Curry's dominant preseason performance in 2014 as the tipping point that confirmed it was time for him to retire from the NBA.