- Damian Lillard faced off against Steve Nash and the Lakers in his very first NBA game in 2012
- Lillard collided with Nash in the first half and left the latter with a fracture in his left leg
- Nash would continue to feel the effects of it in the years to come and it contributed to his retirement
Damian Lillard’s NBA career began on October 31, 2012, and it also ended up being the day that marked the beginning of the end of Steve Nash’s incredible career. Lillard made an appearance on Back On Figg recently, where he recounted the unfortunate incident which many feel accelerated Nash’s departure from the NBA.
“Me and Nash, when he ended his career with his leg injury, me and him ran into each other,” Lillard said. “I actually like kneed him on accident, just a collision and that’s what ended his career… I felt bad bruh, but I think it ended up being a nerve thing where I kneed him and I was running full speed and it was the side of his leg.”
(starts at 1:02:15 mark):
It was totally unintentional, as Lillard never saw Nash. His knee ended up crashing into the side of Nash’s and caused a non-displaced fracture on his left leg. The two-time MVP missed almost two months due to it and was never the same when he returned.
In the 2013-14 season, Nash continued to suffer nerve problems stemming from that injury, and he’d only end up playing 15 games. He then announced that 2014-15 would be his last season in the league, but was ruled out for the whole campaign before it even began due to a back issue.
Steve Nash’s Time With The Lakers Became A What-If Story After The Injury
This game was just Nash’s second as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers had acquired him via a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns, and the expectation was that he’d help them contend for another title.
While Nash was old, he was an All-Star in 2011-12 and certainly had gas left in the tank. Following this injury, though, his play dipped significantly. In his two seasons with the Lakers, he averaged just 11.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 0.6 steals per game.
He was a shell of the player he once was, and it just became a big what-if. Nash was supposed to be the elite point guard that Kobe Bryant never had, but he couldn’t get back to who he once was.
Nash’s absence instead put a heavier workload on an aging Bryant, and much like his teammate, Kobe’s final years would also be marred by injuries. There’s no guarantee Nash was going to be a hit in L.A., but this injury meant he never had a chance.
Steve Nash’s Incredible NBA Career
It was a sad way to go out for someone who was such a joy to watch at his best. Nash’s career actually got off to a slow start after he was drafted by the Suns with the 15th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft.
He was the backup point guard in his first two seasons but got his big break when the team traded him to the Dallas Mavericks. Nash and Dirk Nowitzki formed a formidable duo in Dallas and helped turn the Mavericks into a perennial playoff team.
Nash became an All-Star in Dallas, but he then took another big step when he returned to Phoenix in 2004. In head coach Mike D’Antoni’s system, Nash won back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006 to establish himself as one of the best players in the league.
The Suns became a serious title contender with Nash, but he ultimately couldn’t win that elusive title, losing in the Conference Finals thrice in a six-year stretch. The move to the Lakers was supposed to give him one final shot at it, but things went horribly wrong.
Still, he has gone down as one of the greats and finished his career with averages of 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 0.7 steals per game. He also became the model to follow for the point guards of today like Stephen Curry and Lillard and is one of the more influential players in recent NBA history.
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