Former NBA head coach Mike D’Antoni revealed that he accepted the Los Angeles Lakers coaching job in 2012 after being assured that Steve Nash would make a full recovery from his injury, but the veteran point guard never returned to his previous level.
D’Antoni, who previously coached Nash with the Phoenix Suns, believed the two-time NBA MVP could play an important role in making the Lakers’ star-studded roster successful.
“I thought if Steve Nash was Steve Nash of Phoenix, we could make that work and he could put it all together.”
However, Nash was already dealing with an injury when D’Antoni was considering the position.
The coach explained that he specifically asked about the point guard’s health before agreeing to take the job and received assurances that Nash would soon be available at full strength.
“And he was hurt at the time. And I asked him before I signed. I said, ‘Is Steve okay?’ ‘Oh, yeah, he’s fine. He’ll be back on Thursday, ready to go 100%.’ And I go, ‘Okay.’ So, I sign. I get there. He never came back.'”
Nash had joined the Lakers during the 2012 offseason, when Los Angeles also acquired Dwight Howard to play alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
The team entered the season with championship expectations, but injuries and inconsistent performances complicated those plans.
D’Antoni explained that Nash’s injury involved nerve damage, which prevented him from returning to the form that had made him one of the NBA’s best point guards.
“Never, he couldn’t get over it was a nerve damage.”
The former Lakers coach emphasized that Nash was unable to overcome the physical limitations caused by the injury, leaving Los Angeles without the player D’Antoni had expected to build his offense around.
“And he just couldn’t overcome it, wasn’t ever even close to being Steve Nash.”
Nash appeared in just 50 games during the 2012-13 season, averaging 12.7 points and 6.7 assists. He played only 15 games the following season before eventually retiring in 2015.
D’Antoni coached the Lakers from 2012 to 2014, with the team reaching the playoffs in his first season before missing the postseason in his second.
