Everything good must come to an end. Unfortunately, every NBA player comes to that realization in some way or another. A few days ago, Steve Nash notably revealed the moment which led to his eventual retirement. That led to other NBA stars chiming in with their own stories. One of these stars was Blake Griffin, who revealed the deciding factor in his decision.
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On November 4, LeBron James and Stephen Curry took the internet by storm with a joint podcast episode. The Golden State Warriors star joined James and Nash’s Mind the Game podcast. The trio discussed a wide range of topics, including Curry’s involvement in Nash’s retirement decision.
What should’ve been an ordinary preseason game in 2014 became one of the biggest eye-opening experiences for Nash. The two-time MVP realized his glory days were long behind him. A few days later, he reached out to the Los Angeles Lakers general manager at the time, Mitch Kupchak, and notified him that he would be hanging it up for good.
Although Nash no longer plays, he remains extremely close to the sport. He now serves as an analyst for the NBA on Prime. During the program’s Nightcap segment, the rest of the crew reacted to the Hall-of-Fame guard’s comments. Blake Griffin opened up about a similar experience, which brought him to the same revelation.
“I was playing in Boston, which was my last year. We’re playing in Cleveland at the time. I check into the game. A couple of minutes left in the first quarter, going up and down. I’ve got Evan Mobley. Jumper, come back down, hook, come back down, put back,” Griffin said.
Throughout Griffin’s 13 years in the league, it wasn’t uncommon for him to be bested. However, Mobley’s physical state afterwards was the nail in the coffin for Griffin’s career.
“Somebody got fouled. We’re both on the free-throw line. I’m like [dying]. And I look over at Evan Mobley, it’s like he’s just getting started. I was like, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?'” Griffin said. Although that moment came during the middle of the season, Griffin knew he couldn’t keep up in the league much longer.
But at least he isn’t alone in feeling that way. His fellow co-hosts, Dirk Nowitzki and Udonis Haslem revealed they had similar experiences toward the tail-end of their careers.
Nowitzki and Haslem’s career-ending stories
From an outsider’s point of view, Dirk Nowitzki had the skill set to prolong his career a couple of years if he wanted to. His ability to shoot the ball was a perfect asset for the league’s changing play style, which emphasized three-point shooting. Unfortunately, Father Time eventually caught up to him.
During Nowitzki’s final NBA season, the Dallas Mavericks took on the Celtics in Boston. The 14-time All-Star had the opportunity to make history, but struggled to do something he had a reputation for in his entire career.
“I needed two points to be the highest away team scorer for Western Conference teams,” Nowitzki revealed. “Kobe was 1, and I only needed one basket. It was kind of a blowout at the end. Both teams wanted me to score so badly. They’re cheering my name in Boston, mind you. I went 0-11 that game, and I couldn’t score one basket.”
By that time in his career, Nowitzki was already struggling to keep up on defense, so if he wasn’t able to contribute on offense, it didn’t make any sense for him to continue.
Haslem, on the other hand, didn’t have his wake-up call from an opponent or during an NBA game. The Miami Heat legend received his retirement confirmation after going toe-to-toe with a teammate.
“It was around the time we got Hassan Whiteside,” Haslem said. “When he came to the team, I was like, ‘Ain’t no way in hell, he’ll get my minutes.’ I didn’t know he could grab the rim while keeping his feet on the ground. When he came in, I said. ‘It’s about time.'”
Haslem’s story is funny because he didn’t retire while Whiteside was with the Heat. The three-time NBA champion actually stayed in the league longer than Whiteside. Haslem would retire in 2023, while Whiteside’s final season was in 2022. Of course, Haslem didn’t play much in his last years, which could most likely be attributed to his revelation thanks to Whiteside.
