Steve Nash Retires from NBA

Steve Nash, 41, an eight-time NBA All-Star and a two-time recipient of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, after a career spanning 19 years, on Saturday announced via a letter published on The Players' Tribune that he is retiring from the game.

"I'm retiring. I heard someone once say there comes a day when they tell us all that we can't play anymore. We're not good enough. Surplus to requirements. Too slow, maybe. When you're a teenager with out-sized dreams and a growing obsession, and someone tells you this ain't gonna last forever, it's scary. I never forgot it," Nash wrote. "I will likely never play basketball again. It's bitter-sweet. 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 played for the Phoenix Suns from 1996 to 1998, the Dallas Mavericks from 1998 to 2004, the Phoenix Suns again from 2004 to 2012, and for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2012 until his retirement. In the second game of the 2012-13 NBA season, when their team went up against the Portland Trail Blazers, Nash collided with Damian Lillard resulting to a non-displaced fracture of his left leg, which placed him out of commission for close to seven weeks. He was never the same again following that injury. He continued to suffer recurring pain as a result of the damage on his nerves. Back in July 2014, Nash already told reporters that the 2014-15 season would be his last with the league.