As of next summer, Steve Nash will be the only member of the Los Angeles Lakers still under contract. Mid-way through next season the point guard will turn 40, leaving many to wonder just how many years he may have left. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Nash played 81, 75, 62 games in the three seasons before. In 2012, he played just 50 while dealing with a fractured leg and a back condition. Putting all of that behind him, Nash is not thinking retirement or a championship for that matter.
Having been off the court for three months now, Nash has had time to rest and heal his nagging health problems. Despite playing a few soccer exhibitions, Nash is taking it easy and feeling back to his old self again.
"I've had a really good summer of training and rehabilitating," Nash said to ESPNLA. "I'm not 100 percent, but I'm pretty close. Good enough to go out there Tuesday. I'm thrilled I've had this time to build myself back up, and I believe I'll have a great year."
Nash is not concerned about how many years he has left in the league. While Kobe Bryant is claiming to play at least three more seasons, Nash is only concerned with what next year will bring. He is not ready to predict what is next, while his contract dictates he has two more years remaining.
As Nash prepares to enter the season with Bryant on the disabled list, Dwight Howard gone, Metta World Peace gone and several inexperienced players on the roster, he is not thinking about a championship. Many are calling for him to have that "championship or bust" type of attitude, but Nash is not concerned about rings. Despite what the media is pushing, he believes the whole idea is overblown.
"We're in an age in North America where it's championship or bust. I don't think it was like that when I first came into the league," Nash said. "I don't know where that came from. When I came into the league, it was different than it is now. I mean, I get it. I'm OK with it. I just don't subscribe to it. I want to win. I've had some opportunities, and we had some bad luck. I don't even look at it so much as bad luck. Things just happen. You could say it's bad luck, but you could also say that if I made every shot, we would have won. Nothing is black-and-white, except for winning and losing, and maybe that's why people gravitate to that so much."
So, Nash could retire in two seasons without a ring and seems to be perfectly ok with that. At this point, he just wants to win, nothing more.
