Steve Nash’s Legacy Easily Survives Injury-Plagued Lakers Tenure

Even the most unbreakable athlete will fall in their battle with father time. It’s a heartbreaking development that signals the end of an era.

According to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, the end could be nearing for one of the greatest point guards in NBA history: Los Angeles Lakers floor general Steve Nash.

Sadly, the Lakers confirmed this news via the organization’s official Twitter account.

The Lakers released a full statement via Twitter from both Nash and general manager Mitch Kupchak.

One of the NBA’s all-time greats could be forced to bid goodbye to a league he’s done so much for.

Nash, in his final season with the Lakers, entered the NBA in 1996. In his 18 seasons, the 40-year-old has spent time with the Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks.

Unfortunately, Nash’s Lakers tenure has been plagued by injuries.

He missed 32 games in 2012-13 and 67 in 2013-14. Having been ruled out for 2014-15, Nash will complete his time in Los Angeles with 65 games played in three seasons.

As tragic as the string of injuries may be, an underwhelming three seasons in Los Angeles will not damage what has been a phenomenal career.

No matter what happens from hereon out, Nash is safe as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

The Accolades

It’s rare that any player reaches 40 years old during their active career. Steve Nash is one of the select few who has been able to do so.

With one look at his accolades, it’s not hard to see why teams have maintained interest in his services.

The Canadian star is an eight-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA selection. He made First Team All-NBA in three seasons and won a pair of WCC Player of the Year awards while attending Santa Clara University.

Most notably, Nash won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006.

That 2006 season was one of four in which Nash cracked the exclusive 50-40-90 club. For those unfamiliar, the 50-40-90 is achieved when a player shoots at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the free throw line.

Larry Bird is the only other player in NBA history to earn multiple appearances in the 50-40-90 club.

Nash nearly added onto his four legendary shooting seasons. He posted slash lines of .532/.455/.899 in 2006-07 and .497/.438/.922 in 2012-13.

Nash was mere thousandths away from hitting 50-40-90 six times.

In his 18 NBA seasons, Nash has accumulated averages of 14.3 points, 8.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds on a slash line of .490/.428/.904. He’s currently No. 12 all-time in 3-point field goals made and No. 9 in career 3-point field goal percentage.

He’s the all-time leader in career free throw percentage.

If only one trait can get Nash into the Hall of Fame, it’s not his shooting; it’s his uncanny ability to facilitate an offense. He’s a five-time assists leader, tallying double-digit marks in seven separate seasons.

The only players with more assist titles are Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson and John Stockton.

On the career scale, Nash ranks No. 3 on the all-time assists list with 10,335 dimes. Only Stockton and Jason Kidd rank higher.

What this adds up to is clear: on the day he officially retires, Springfield will have Nash’s place in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame reserved and ready.

The Lasting Impact

With his accomplishments and statistics alone, Steve Nash is safe in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He’s paired a legendary professional career with an excellent college tenure, and that’s enough for his deserved entrance.

No one will forget Nash’s statistical brilliance, but that’s only a small part of his lasting impact on the NBA.

Nash was the floor general for one of the most prolific offenses in NBA history: the run-and-gun Phoenix Suns of the mid-2000s. He and head coach Mike D’Antoni led an explosive attack with a supporting cast of Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudemire.

The result was a pair of Western Conference Finals appearances, two 60-win seasons and some of the most unstoppable offensive basketball in NBA history.

That includes a trip to the Conference Finals with Stoudemire sidelined, but Nash’s detractors won’t let you hear about that.

Before going to Phoenix, Nash ran point on a 2003-04 Dallas Mavericks squad that rates as one of the most powerful offenses in league history. The 2001-02 and 2002-03 Mavericks that Nash led are just as highly-regarded on the all-time spectrum.

For all that he achieved in Dallas, Nash’s crowning years were in Phoenix.

He and coach D’Antoni helped turn the pick-and-roll into an entirely different animal. While the same principles applied from one interpretation to the next, Phoenix introduced a pace and style that was close to unparalleled.

All it took to dismantle an elite defense was, “Seven Seconds or Less.”

Phoenix wasn’t the first team to go up-tempo, nor was it the first success story of pick-and-roll fame. Jerry Sloan‘s Utah Jazz, amongst others, revolutionized the system well before those Suns arrived.

The significance of Phoenix’s interpretation had more to do with what was happening around the pick-and-roll.

Phoenix maximized the value of a stretch 4—a rising force that’s become commonplace in today’s NBA—and developed a new standard for point guard play.

Offensively, Nash fused sharpshooting and facilitating like no player before.

In his first MVP campaign, Nash averaged 15.5 points and a league-best 11.5 assists on 43.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. In his second, he tallied marks of 18.8 points and 10.5 assists on 43.9 percent shooting from 3-point range.

He made over 300 3-point field goals in that two-year span, exceeding 150 in each season.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, there have been four seasons in NBA history in which a player has averaged at least 10.0 assists and converted 150 3-point field goals.

Michael Adams did it in 1990-91. He shot 29.6 percent from distance.

The other three times it was done: Nash in 2005-06, Nash in 2006-07 and Nash in 2007-08. He shot no worse than 43.9 percent from distance in any those three seasons.

To this day, no one in NBA history has combined shooting prowess and facilitating as well as he.

The Legacy

Throughout the course of NBA history, the greatest hurdle for a general manager has been finding the right leader. A player who not only thrives as a contributor, but elevates his teammates and displays an infectious toughness.

Few players have ever embodied those traits as well as Steve Nash.

Nash has the uncanny ability to step onto the floor and make everyone around him look significantly better.

Whether he’s lacing impossible passes into his big man’s hands or finding perimeter players who don’t realize how open they are, Nash exemplifies what it means to be a floor general.

Whether leading the Seven Seconds or Less squads to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances or a rebuilding Suns team to a .500 record in the Western Conference in 2011-12, Nash never stops helping his teammates improve.

When he isn’t setting them up, he’s breaking down a defense himself for ridiculously efficient scoring opportunities—opportunities that shouldn’t come so easily to a player who isn’t quite as strong or athletic as his counterparts.

Opportunities that Nash is willing to fight to receive.

Nash’s two weaknesses, no championship ring and lackluster defense, certainly go against him. They can’t be brushed aside in the all-time debates about he and other legendary point guards, nor can they be conveniently ignored today.

As time goes on and nostalgia trumps all, however, Nash will be remembered for what he was: a warrior.

Nash is the player who was body-checked by the 6’10” and 240-pound Robert Horry. He’s the same player who couldn’t wait to get back into the game after slamming into the announcer’s table as if he were a professional wrestler.

The same player who had 24 points and 15 assists in that road playoff game with Phoenix trailing 2-1.

All that’s missing is some Jim Ross commentary.

Nash is the player who gave an interview fresh off of chipping his tooth.

The player who got bloodied, messily taped it up and still managed to score 31 points.

The same player who has popped his nose back into place on live television. The same player who has had his lip busted open, his eye swollen shut and, through it all, came back to finish the game.

Nash isn’t just an iconic finesse player whose skills revolutionized his position; Nash defines and often exceeds what it means to be a competitor.

As his career winds down and injuries hinder his Los Angeles Lakers experience, his legacy remains intact.

He’s left a lasting impact on the game and has achieved as much as anyone could’ve dreamed. He’s helped define what it means to fight for one’s team.

No matter when he chooses to retire, his legacy is safe. Nash is of the greatest players in NBA history.