Steve Nash hilariously credits Steph Curry for pushing him into retirement after 2014 preseason game

Steve Nash credits Steph Curry for pushing him into retirement

On the latest episode of the "Mind the Game" podcast, Steve Nash shared a story with LeBron James and guest Steph Curry about the moment he realized his NBA career was over — and how Curry played a role in that decision.

The decisive game

The story goes back to the 2014–15 preseason when Nash’s Los Angeles Lakers faced the Golden State Warriors in Ontario, California. Golden State exploded with a 39-point first quarter and eventually cruised to a 116–75 victory.

Curry scored 12 points within the first two and a half minutes and finished with 25 points in just 24 minutes of play.

Nash’s realization

“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 even at 100 percent.”

Nash, who was already struggling with back problems, knew then that he physically couldn’t keep up anymore. A few days later, he fully accepted it.

“Man, literally like three or four more days of thinking on it, I was like… yeah. I think it’s time,” Nash joked to Curry. “You put me out!”

The end of a Hall of Fame career

In July 2014, Nash had already announced that the upcoming season would be his last. The 40-year-old played only three preseason games before his back issues flared up again — including that one against Golden State in Ontario. On October 23, 2014, less than a week before opening night, he was ruled out for the season and never played another NBA game.

Author’s summary

During a podcast chat, Steve Nash humorously admitted that facing Steph Curry in a blazing preseason game confirmed it was time to end his legendary NBA career.

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NBC Bay Area NBC Bay Area — 2025-11-06

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