Steve Nash Retires: Comments, Top Takeaways from Press Conference

The news may have already been out, but Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash held a press conference Tuesday to officially announce his retirement from the NBA.   

Nash came into the league in 1996 when the Phoenix Suns used the No. 15 overall pick on him in the NBA draft. He played for the Suns, the Dallas Mavericks and the Lakers and won the 2004-05 and the 2005-06 MVP awards. The 41-year-old was also named to eight different All-Star teams throughout his illustrious career and will likely head to the Hall of Fame one day.

While the individual awards are one thing, Nash made sure to let everyone know how he wanted to be remembered, per NBA TV:

Unfortunately for Nash, his brief tenure with the Lakers at the end of his career was marred by untimely injuries, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders noted:

Despite the injuries, Nash reached out to the Lakers organization during his press conference, per the team’s official Twitter account and NBA TV:

Even one of his former teams, the Phoenix Suns, passed along a quote from the press conference:

It was clear during the press conference Tuesday that Nash truly wanted to win a championship for the Lakers organization. He never did reach the NBA’s mountaintop, although he came close a number of times. 

SportsCenter and the Lakers passed along quotes that suggested how much Nash wanted to win:

Even without a ring, Nash’s career was a success. He noted that the reaction of his fellow players and teammates was particularly important to him:

James Worthy, one of the all-time Lakers greats, responded with the type of respect many around the NBA likely have in regards to Nash:

Nash was a two-time MVP, one of the best facilitators of his generation and a constant competitor on the floor who always left it all on the court in the name of winning. He certainly deserves the praise upon his retirement.