Steve Nash officially announced his retirement from the NBA on Saturday in a beautifully penned essay for the Player's Tribune.
The 41-year-old will be remembered by many for his years as the captain of a run'n'gun Suns team that changed the NBA, but in Dallas, none of us can forget his six seasons here with Dirk Nowitzki. When he came to Dallas in 1998 as the Mavericks drafted Dirk, they were both nobodies. Six years later, both of them had established themselves as two of the NBA's finest players. They were a joy to watch night after night and one way or another, we'll always wonder what could have been if Nash had stayed in Dallas.
Nash is a two-time NBA MVP, eight-time All Star and was voted to the All-NBA team seven times. He led the NBA in assists six years and is currently third all-time on the assist list.
In his retirement essay, he had this heartbreakingly wonderful message to Dirk.
I remember when Dirk and I were nobodies. He used to say over dinner sometimes, "How are us two stiffs gonna make it in this league?" Somehow we made something of ourselves. After all the wins and all the great times we've had around the world together, what really means the most to me are the late nights early in our careers when we'd go back to the Landry Center in Dallas, to play a few more games of HORSE and one-on-one. Dirk and the great city of Dallas got their championship, and I couldn't be happier for them.
He also dropped this brief line about Don Nelson, who helped turn him into a player who would win
Don Nelson insisted that I score. I always wanted to pass but he said, "It's goddamn selfish when you don't shoot." Or, "If you're a dominant fucking player — dominate!" He insisted that I be aggressive. That growth was a turning point in my career.
Thank you for everything you did for the Mavericks and the NBA, Steve Nash. We miss you already.