NBA great Steve Nash has revealed that he had hoped to play a key role for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but his body eventually told him to shut it down.
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Nash was unable to feature at all this season after suffering a setback before the campaign had started with another back injury.
Despite his best efforts to make a comeback and with the support of the Lakers, he was unable to do so and finally called time on his career on Saturday.
In his press conference on Tuesday, he thanked the Lakers organisation for their support through a difficult period in which the franchise failed to achieve their goals after bringing the veteran in alongside Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant.
However, Nash insisted that he just wanted to be remembered for being a great teammate and for someone who competed every night to help his team win.
“I really thought I was going to get through the year,” Nash said, ESPN reports.
“I did everything I possibly could. I think I was in as a good a shape as anybody through training camp. But when I woke up that next morning and was a mess, that’s when I really started thinking long and hard of what I’m really capable of this year.
“In the end, it became pretty clear and the decision was sort of made for me. I just wasn’t going to be able to sustain it. I wouldn’t be able to help the team this year.”
The 41-year-old added that the Lakers medical team gave him a hint or two that the fact that it might be time to call time on his playing career, but such was his desire to battle on he conceded that he pretended to ignore them.
Nash leaves the NBA having won two MVP awards and is the most accurate free-throw shooter in league history as well as tallying the third most assists of all time.
However, his impact on the game was much bigger than that as he is credited with changing the style of offense during his time with the Phoenix Suns and revolutionised the point guard position.
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