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Steve Nash Officially Announces His Retirement, Calls Representing Canada In The Olympics "The Best Experience Of My Career"

One of the best athletes in Canadian history retires.

By steven_lebron
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Before the start of this season, Steve Nash announced that he would be out for the season after being ruled out with nerve issues in his back. This came after he played in just 15 games for the Lakers last season. At age 41, even though Nash never officially announced his retirement, many assumed that we had seen the last of him in an NBA uniform.

Today, Nash made it official by writing a lengthy farewell at The Players' Tribune, which you can read in full here. It's an emotional piece, and one where he shouts out the many people who made his career possible. Nash is especially fond of his time with the Canadian national basketball team, shouting out Jay Triano in this excerpt:

I looked up to Jay Triano, a star guard on the Canadian national team, as a kid. He recruited me in high school and coached me in the Sydney Olympics. His love for the game and competitive nature was always infectious. I never had more fun playing for anyone. Representing Canada in the Olympics was the best experience of my career, and he got us there.

Nash will be remembered as one of the best point guards to ever play the game, and really incredible when you consider he was drafted 15th overall out of Santa Clara in 1996 and went on to win two Most Valuable Player awards in the NBA and finishing third all-time in assists. To put it in perspective:

The Raptors, of course, famously courted Nash in free agency several years ago, but Nash opted to sign with the Lakers to be closer to his kids and also because (at the time) it afforded him a better opportunity to contend. From a basketball standpoint, it worked out for the Raptors since the team moved forward with Kyle Lowry as the starting point guard, and Nash's injuries started to pile up after he joined the Lakers (he broke his leg in his second regular season game with the team). But there are of course there was the appeal of having Kid Canada return home to get the Raptors back into contention.

Nash never won a championship, something even he lamented in his retirement essay, but that shouldn't preclude him from being mentioned as one of the best and most entertaining players of his generation.

Hell of a run, Kid Canada.

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