In what signals the likely end of a marvelous, Hall-of-Fame career, Lakers point guard Steve Nash has been ruled out for the 2014-15 season due to recurring nerve damage in his back.
The Lakers confirmed the news on their official Twitter page Thursday night, before releasing the following statement:
Full press release on Nash including quotes from him and Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak. pic.twitter.com/FsuMq1JWis
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 24, 2014
The 40-year-old, two-time MVP has played 18 NBA seasons, averaging 14.3 points and 8.5 assists. He ranks 31st all-time in games played (1,217), third in assists (10,335), ninth in three-point percentage (42.8) and first in free-throw percentage (90.4).
He's one of only six players in NBA history (along with Larry Bird, Mark Price, Reggie Miller, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Durant) to record a season with 50-40-90 shooting splits. Bird achieved the feat twice. The others each did it once. Nash did it four times.
After 16 mostly healthy seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns (who drafted him in 1996 and brought him back as a free agent in 2004), Nash's brief stint with the Lakers has been disastrous.
In 2012, he joined Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Paul Gasol on a team that was expected to allow Nash to capture that elusive NBA title. Instead, the team struggled to gel, Nash struggled to stay on the court, and the Lakers squeaked into the playoffs before getting blown to bits in the first round.
Last season was even worse, as the nerve damage in Nash's aging back worsened, limiting him to just 15 games as the Lakers free-fell to a 27-55 finish, the second-worst in franchise history.
Nash came to training camp seemingly healthy this season (the last of his three-year, $28-million deal with the Lakers), saying it would be the last of his career. He claimed to feel loose and free in team scrimmages, but had to leave a preseason game just over a week ago with discomfort before tweaking his back while carrying his bags after practice.
Call it bad luck or call it age. Call it Suns devil magic. Whatever the reason, since Nash has come to Hollywood, he's caught bad break after bad break.
According to Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times, Nash hasn't decided for certain if he'll indeed call it quits, but it's hard to imagine him bouncing back next year at age 41, provided anyone even offers him a contract.
If he does retire, he'll have one glaring piece of hardware missing from his mantle, and he'll be just the second player in NBA history to win multiple MVP awards without ever winning a championship.
