When Steve Nash retired, Stephen Curry felt some of that pain. “You hate to see that career end like that,” he said, referring to the string of injuries the legendary Suns guard faced towards the end of his career. But that wasn’t the reason Nash called it quits. Despite the constant troubles, he was more than willing to battle and continue playing. The real reason he retired – a game against Curry.

On the recent episode of ‘Mind The Game’, the two-time MVP got a chance to share the story. Coming back from a major injury, Nash wanted to understand the buzz around Stephen Curry. It was only preseason, and the then-Lakers guard suffered from back spasms. Still, he decided to get a piece of the Baby Face Assassin. That’s where the realisation hit.

“I’m like I got to find out like I have to play hurt. Can I play hurt or else I’m what’s the point? Right? And so we went to play these guys preseason in like Ontario, California or somewhere. I don’t even remember this. And uh we came out. I’m guarding Steph. I think they put up like 50 in the first quarter. Maybe it was 45, but it feel it felt like a 50 piece, right? He’s running everywhere. I’m like back is broke,” Nash said on the podcast.

It gave him an idea of what the expectations were going to be. Moreover, it gave him a glimpse of the MVP Curry, who didn’t stop running for 48 minutes and required surreal stamina to guard. Nash feels that at 100% he would have a chance. But his body wasn’t recovering the same, given the amount of wear and tear it had suffered from. So he made the decision soon.

“I’m like, man literally like three more four more days of thinking on it. I was like yeah, I think it’s time,” he added. And that was that. In hindsight, it may have been for the better. Steve Nahs had pushed his body to the limit, retiring at 41. Additionally, he now has a successful career in broadcasting, joining Amazon Prime’s NBA team this year.

In doing so, he gets to watch Stephen Curry play his final few seasons. It could be many more years. But Nash might actually consider himself lucky in avoiding the four-time champion as his prediction came true.

Steve Nash knew what Stephen Curry was going to become

Curry was fresh off his first MVP win in 2015, the same year Nash decided to retire. The entire NBA knew it was the beginning of a revolution. But just how far it could go, nobody could have perceived that. It would need an expert eye to recognise the inevitable. And Steve Nash saw through it. After his retirement, Nash began working with the Warriors.

And despite the prior MVP season, the Suns icon noticed Curry growing larger. “Yeah. Just gets better and better. Game gets sharper. And I still think he’s going to understand things more clearly as well. His skill level improves, which is kind of alarming, He’s maybe as skilled a player as we’ve ever had in this game,” Nash told The Mercury News in 2015.

Everyone knows what followed. Stephen Curry won another MVP, becoming just the 11 player in league history to win the prestigious award back-to-back. Now, at 36, Curry still carries the same fire, but with all the improvements Nash knew would come. In the last ride with the Warriors, the Baby Face Assassin is chasing another championship, surrounded by a veteran core.

Don’t let age fool you either. Through seven games, Curry is averaging 26.6 points and leads the league with 30 threes made. Having faced injury setbacks early in his career, all signs point to the Warriors ace ending his career on his own terms. But there’s some more Curry magic to happen before that.