If it seems like it’s been forever since Steve Nash played for the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s because it has. The two-time MVP has been sidelined since November 10 with back and hamstring injuries. This is what he looked like the last time he played:
Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports
Now, almost three months later, Nash is expected to return to the Lakers’ lineup tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. When he spoke to reporters Tuesday morning, he looked like he hadn’t seen the sun in three decades, let alone three months.
Yes, it appears the 39-year-old Nash is looking more like Chuck Norris than the future Hall of Famer we’ve grown accustomed to in his 17-year NBA career.
Chuck Norris: blogspot.com; Steve Nash: @mcten, Twitter
When Nash was asked if he planned to keep the gray beard or shave it off before the game, he gave the most depressing answer he could have: “I forgot I had it.”
He ended up losing it.
This is not the way anybody wanted to see one of the greatest point guards in NBA history go out. Nash hasn’t been able to stay healthy since leaving the Phoenix Suns for the Lakers in the summer of 2012, and with Kendall Marshall playing well in his place and the Lakers’ season pretty much over, it’s unlikely that he’ll even make a difference.
Hopefully, he’ll prove everyone wrong.