Steve Nash had an unexpected climb to the upper echelon of the sport after joining the Phoenix Suns in 2004, playing the next eight years of his career there. Yet his last two years turned into an unsuspected decline, playing in only 65 games during his short stint with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The soon-to-be Hall of Famer spoke with ESPN's Rachel Nichols on The Jump, saying how he really felt about the way he concluded his illustrious career.

“Getting a chance to finish with the Lakers … went horribly wrong,” Nash told Nichols, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic. “But it was an incredible opportunity and a pleasure to try and do whatever I could at the end of my career [to come back from injury]. I never worked harder in my life. And I will never forget the graciousness and support I got from the Lakers as well.”

Nash was already facing concerns about a potential decline, having dealt with back problems throughout the years, often seen laying in the sidelines with equipment, rather than sitting on the bench to avoid flare-ups.

He played only 62 games in his last year with the Suns in 2011-12, consequently being part of a sign-and-trade to the Lakers after considering other options like New York and Toronto.

Steve Nash was a shadow of himself in 2012-13, only putting up 12.7 points and 6.7 assists per game. The issue became that much more evident in 2013-14, but Nash decided to play out the season, making only 15 appearances before nerve damage in his leg continued to plague him.

Coming into 2014-15, the dime maestro announced it would be his last season, but he only made three preseason appearances before being ruled out for the season. While many expected him to honorably hang them up for good, Steve Nash decided to focus on his recovery and stay with the team in a mentor role in hopes to yield every last cent owed to him for the season.