Damian Lillard claims he DESTROYED Kobe Bryant and Lakers’ superteam by giving Hall of Famer career-ending injury
In a match between the Lakers and the Blazers, Damian Lillard crashed into Steve Nash, fracturing his left leg.
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Damian Lillard and Steve Nash injury (via IMAGO and Twitter)
In the 2010’s the NBA was growing more and more accustomed to the idea of super teams. The forming of the Miami Heat Big 3 put the idea of forming a super team into the minds of teams across the league. The Los Angeles Lakers were no different. In the 2012-2013 season, they boasted a stellar cast. Composed of Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, the team looked like championship contenders. However, the team didn’t live up to its high expectations, finishing as a 7-seed and first-round 0-4 loss to the Spurs.
One of the reasons for their disappointing performance was the injury of their star point guard, Steve Nash. In a game against the Portland Trail Blazers, then rookie Damian Lillard, collided with Nash. This broke the joint of the tibia and fibula in his left leg, causing him to sit out until December. In a recent interview, Lillard revealed that during the collision with Nash, he actually kneed him by accident, causing the fracture in his left leg.
Damian Lillard was quoted saying, “Opening night when we played the Lakers… When [Steve Nash] ended his career with his leg injury, me & him ran into each other. I actually like kneed him on accident.”
Nash’s injury severely hampered the Lakers’ performance throughout the season. That, coupled with the fact that Gasol has just spent a tiring summer playing for Spain and Howard was coming off back surgery meant the Lakers couldn’t play at their very best. Perhaps, if Nash hadn’t been injured that night he could’ve played second fiddle to Bryant and increased their winning odds. However, all fans can do is speculate what the Lakers’ season would’ve been like with Nash.
Steve Nash says he hasn’t still healed from injury
In an interview, Nash revealed that he still hasn’t completely recovered from knee injury. When asked how his injury was, Nash said, “I wasn’t quite the same [and] wasn’t moving great forever more.”
He went on to add, “I broke the tib-fib joint in my knee in my first or second game with the Lakers and it was inside the joint where it articulates, and with my back problem… since that break, my body’s different. Just the way it responds to everything.” Nash said that his experience with the Lakers was an incredible experience but also disastrous because of the injuries he incurred.
According to Nash, the reason his knee hasn’t been able to heal is because of nerve issues he had prior to injury. Nash says that this injury, coupled with a back injury he had prior, was what prompted him to retire from the NBA in 2014. Nash finished his career as a 2x MVP with 8 All-star selections.
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Gerard Crispin
(3318 Articles Published)