Steve Nash publishes open letter to Lakers fans on Facebook

Steve Nash describes his time in LA as a disaster. (USATSI)

Steve Nash, who is out for the season because of nerve damage to his back, published an open letter to Los Angeles Lakers fans on Facebook on Friday. An excerpt:

I definitely don't want to be a distraction, but I felt it best everyone heard from me in my own words.

I have a ton of miles on my back. Three buldging disks (a tear in one), stenosis of the nerve route and spondylolisthesis. I suffer from sciatica and after games I often can't sit in the car on the drive home, which has made for some interesting rides. Most nights I'm bothered by severe cramping in both calves while I sleep, a result of the same damn nerve routes, and the list goes on somewhat comically. That's what you deserve for playing over 1,300 NBA games. By no means do I tell you this for sympathy - especially since I see these ailments as badges of honor - but maybe I can bring some clarity.

I've always been one of the hardest workers in the game and I say that at the risk of what it assumes. The past 2 years I've worked like a dog to not only overcome these setbacks but to find the form that could lift up and inspire the fans in LA as my last chapter. Obviously it's been a disaster on both fronts but I've never worked harder, sacrificed more or faced such a difficult challenge mentally and emotionally.

I understand why some fans are disappointed. I haven't been able to play a lot of games or at the level we all wanted. Unfortunately that's a part of pro sports that happens every year on every team. I wish desperately it was different. I want to play more than anything in the world. I've lost an incredible amount of sleep over this disappointment.

Competitiveness, professionalism, naiveté and hope that at some point I'd turn a corner has kept me fighting to get back. As our legendary trainer Gary Vitti, who is a close friend, told me, 'You're the last to know' - and my back has shown me the forecast over the past 18-20 months. To ignore it any longer is irresponsible. But that doesn't mean that life stops.

Nash added that 'playing an NBA game usually puts me out a couple of weeks,' which is depressingly true. If you watched his 'The Finish Line' series at Grantland, or if you read any of his quotes about coming back from his various injuries, you already had to feel for him. This, though, is rough. Nash really worked to try to come back and give it one last go in Los Angeles, but his season never got started. He looked great during training camp. He was optimistic. His body just couldn't hold up.

Some Lakers fans are bitter about Nash's three-year contract, and some are angry at him. Most of them likely won't change their minds, but if a few of them do after reading Nash's perspective, great. For the rest of us who just would have liked to see him back on the court, this remains a sad way for the story to end.

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