Veteran guard Steve Nash appears to be seriously considering retirement as the pain in his back continues to increase, according to Fox Sports.
Nash has been in and out of the Los Angeles Lakers lineup all season and during his most recent stint has missed a week of action as he battles what's described as "nerve root irritation" in his back.
"I'm hearing Nash's pain is forcing him to seriously consider calling it a career," tweeted Fox sports columnist Peter Vecsey, adding that Nash would still receive the remaining money owed to him on his contract by the Lakers and that the team would be granted cap relief.
The NBA's oldest player at 39, Nash is in his second season with the Lakers and was brought to town during the same 2012 offseason as Dwight Howard in what has amounted as a series as high-profile moves that have undeniably fallen flat for the Lakers.
"I hesitate to even talk about it now because it's probably not a good time," Nash told reporters of all the retirement rumors following the team's Nov. 11 loss to Minnesota. "I'm feeling a little emotional, but it's hard. I really want to play and I really want to play the way I'm accustomed to playing, and to be so limited is frustrating. And also to not know where a clean-ish bill of health is is a little daunting too."
Nash was named the league's MVP in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons while with the Phoenix Suns. He has led the league in assists and free-throw percentage at various points in his 18-year career.
But health issues have reduced him a shell of his former self and this season he had averaged just 6.7 points and 4.8 assists ---the lowest numbers in both categories in 14 years.
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