With painful back issues causing him to spend more time in street clothes than a uniform, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash may be giving strong consideration to retirement, reports longtime NBA columnist Peter Vecsey.
Nash has been sidelined since Nov. 12 with nerve root irritation in his back. He is expected to miss at least another week.
“I'm hearing Nash's pain is forcing him 2 seriously consider calling it a career,” tweeted Vecsey, the former national pro basketball columnist for the New York Post. “He'd still get $ this yr & next & LA'd get cap relief next.”
Nash, 39, is the NBA’s oldest player and in his second season with the Lakers. He sat out two of the first eight games, appearing to labor through most of the other six.
"I hesitate to even talk about it now because it's probably not a good time," Nash told LA reporters after a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 11. "I'm feeling a little emotional, but it's hard. I really want to play and I really want to play the way I'm accustomed to playing, and to be so limited is frustrating. And also to not know where a clean-ish bill of health is is a little daunting too.”
The latest on Nash was reported just more than a day after Lakers star Kobe Bryant returned to practice. Bryant has been out since late last season after rupturing his Achilles tendon. The injury required surgery in April.
Nash was named the league’s MVP in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons while with the Phoenix Suns. He has led the league in assists and free-throw percentage at various points in his 18-year career.
But health issues and perhaps age have limited him to season averages of 6.7 points and 4.8 assists -- his lowest numbers in both categories in 14 years.
Twitter: @SamAmicoFSO
