Steve Nash’s retirement didn’t come as a surprise to many, least of all his friend and former teammate Dirk Nowitzki.
When speaking with Marc Stein on his ESPN Podcast, Dirk said that his old friend had spoken to him about retirement as early back as October. He knew that his body was breaking down and it was about time to call it a career.
“I think it was a relief for him, I think he was happy it was over with,” said Nowitzki. “I told him in October that I was proud of him. That he had an amazing career.”
Of course, Dirk couldn’t let the matter go without adding some jabs to his close friend. He added that it was amazing what Steve Nash had completed in the NBA, and that he deserves the Hall of Fame despite being both “white” and “unathletic“.
Only good friends can get away with saying some fightin’ words like that.
Of course, Dirk is always good for a few hilarious sound bites through out the season, and apparently just wanted to give a couple of backhanded compliments to his buddy as he walks out of the door.
I’m sure he’ll hear it from Mr. Nash the next time he see’s him.
Being the gentleman he is, Dirk finished the interview by congratulating Steve on a great career.
Nowitzki went on to say he believed Nash is “one of the greatest ever” to play in the NBA. He’s not wrong. Nash’s 18-year career was filled with success. He was named league MVP twice, made eight All-Star appearances, led the league in assists for five seasons, shot 90.4 percent from the free throw line during the 2012-13 season (best ever) and finished third all-time in career assists (10,335).
H/T SN