Steve Nash nabs himself while playing golf on Workmen's Comp.

[godkingleonidas]

Nash uploaded video of himself playing golf to his Instagram account after he'd been shutdown for the final year of his contract due to a back injury sustained while carrying luggage.

[Bendit]

Obviously that wasnt a selfie.

I would think he was made aware of it, he got it and then revealed it himself to get out in front of the story. Not good optics...except he did fall away after the swing ...revealing his back still has a problem...lol.

Without delving into this...when was the vid taken and is this a joke thing by Nash (he is known to have pulled off stuff like this before).

[Joey]

Open Letter to Fans:

“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.

This may be hard for people to understand unless you’ve played NBA basketball, but there is an incredible difference between this game and swinging a golf club, hiking, even hitting a tennis ball or playing basketball at the park. Fortunately those other activities aren’t debilitating, but playing an NBA game usually puts me out a couple of weeks. Once you’re asked to accelerate and decelerate with Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving it is a completely different demand.

I’m doing what I’ve always done which is share a bit of my off-court life in the same way everyone else does. Going forward I hope we all can refocus our energies on getting behind these Lakers. This team will be back and Staples will be rocking.”

Good on him. Its ridiculous people would expect him to just sit around in a wheelchair or something.

[Superjudge]

Times 1000000

Most people are idiots and have zero idea what it takes to play any sport at a high level.... screw um all.

[Apollo]

Golf is a very difficult sport to play with a bad back. If he's playing golf while being out of the game due to a bad back then I question his motivation to play ball.

I'm not going to judge him, he had a great run and was always a hard worker. If he's done, he's done but to those attacking people for pointing out the contradiction of his injury and his activities while injured, it sounds to me you don't understand what goes into a golf swing or you're taking this personal. Golf is demanding on the back, along with the hips. Whether you have a lower or upper back injury, you have no business on a golf course if your goal is to make a successful, timely recovery and acknowledging this shouldn't need to contradict your admiration for the guy, it's merely accepting the reality of it.

I don't know what it's like to be a pro baller but I do know what it's like to hurt my back, to a far lesser extent than he cites he's dealing with, and during that time of injury I couldn't swing a club. I couldn't do a whole lot besides light activities because its debilitating and it's even tough to sleep because you can never truly get comfortable with a back injury.

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[Joey]

Golf is a very difficult sport to play with a bad back. If he's playing golf while being out of the game due to a bad back then I question his motivation to play ball.

I'm not going to judge him, he had a great run and was always a hard worker. If he's done, he's done but to those attacking people for pointing out the contradiction of his injury and his activities while injured, it sounds to me you don't understand what goes into a golf swing or you're taking this personal. Golf is demanding on the back, along with the hips. Whether you have a lower or upper back injury, you have no business on a golf course if your goal is to make a successful, timely recovery and acknowledging this shouldn't need to contradict your admiration for the guy, it's merely accepting the reality of it.

I don't know what it's like to be a pro baller but I do know what it's like to hurt my back, to a far lesser extent than he cites he's dealing with, and during that time of injury I couldn't swing a club. I couldn't do a whole lot besides light activities because its debilitating and it's even tough to sleep because you can never truly get comfortable with a back injury.

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Depends on your swing. You can have a very low-back-reliant swing, or you put a lot into your back. All depends. Looking at that video, he doesn't crank his back all that bad, like say Tiger used to do.

And as Steve points out, swinging a club is ALOT different than chasing some of the best athletes around for 30 minutes a game.

[Joey]

Most people are idiots

HAH Tell us how you really feel Judge.

[Apollo]

Depends on your swing. You can have a very low-back-reliant swing, or you put a lot into your back. All depends. Looking at that video, he doesn't crank his back all that bad, like say Tiger used to do.

And as Steve points out, swinging a club is ALOT different than chasing some of the best athletes around for 30 minutes a game.

We'll have to agree to disagree then. Unless you're hacking it around the course for 50-100/shot (which I highly doubt a competitor like Nash would find enjoyable) there is no way to eliminate a back turn from your swing. Your back turning has to happen to make a well hit shot down the middle. I just don't see how somebody with those back issues can be on a course at all. The dude must have a very high pain tolerance and a little bit of poor judgement when it comes to his physical health. That's my opinion and I wish him the very best in the future because I have a lot of respect and admiration.

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[Superjudge]

HAH Tell us how you really feel Judge.

Well...they kinda are.

Anyhow, i have both Back AND hip issues, throw in a little Neck immobility, I can Golf, I sure as hell cannot go hard on the hard court anymore.

[kopite91]

We'll have to agree to disagree then. Unless you're hacking it around the course for 50-100/shot (which I highly doubt a competitor like Nash would find enjoyable) there is no way to eliminate a back turn from your swing. Your back turning has to happen to make a well hit shot down the middle. I just don't see how somebody with those back issues can be on a course at all. The dude must have a very high pain tolerance and a little bit of poor judgement when it comes to his physical health. That's my opinion and I wish him the very best in the future because I have a lot of respect and admiration.

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I remember reading a Mark Stein column on Steve Nash. Out of all the accolades, highlight reel passes etc, the one thing he mentioned that stood out about Nash, which most people didn't fully know, was his pain tolerance. How he had teammates help him stretch his groin before a game so he could simply play. Golf is the least painful thing he's put his body through the last couple years. The Lakers media loves having a field day with such shit.

[Apollo]

You're missing the point here. Golfing with his particular back injuries is probably slowing down his recovery a great deal. Nash hasn't retired, he's still counting against the Lakers' salary cap.

I liken it to the time Carter was out with an lower body injury and was filmed at a concert dancing. I liken it to the time HedoNT was out with the flu and was seen later that night partying at a night club. How did you feel about those instances? I remember there being a big uproar for both in Toronto and across Canada at the time.

Try to put yourself in the other guys' shoes. He should make a choice, is he an active NBA baller or is he a retired NBA baller? If he wants to get paid that big money then he should be rehabbing and rehabbing a back injury does not involve playing rounds of golf, I assure you that.

[Bendit]

You're missing the point here. Golfing with his particular back injuries is probably slowing down his recovery a great deal. Nash hasn't retired, he's still counting against the Lakers' salary cap.

I liken it to the time Carter was out with an lower body injury and was filmed at a concert dancing. I liken it to the time HedoNT was out with the flu and was seen later that night partying at a night club. How did you feel about those instances? I remember there being a big uproar for both in Toronto and across Canada at the time.

Try to put yourself in the other guys' shoes. He should make a choice, is he an active NBA baller or is he a retired NBA baller? If he wants to get paid that big money then he should be rehabbing and rehabbing a back injury does not involve playing rounds of golf, I assure you that.

I am not exactly up with all the obligations in the NBA player contract re injuries/rehabbing/retirement/sitting out the season etc. But it seems that both LAL org and Nash agreed he was out for the 14-15 season. I would assume that a doctor/s have agreed he cannot play NBA basketball. Maybe rest is the only thing. But his contract ends after this season so technically does he "really" have anymore obligations to do/not do anything to ensure that he can play next season?

He just should not have released that vid...didnt make any sense...what did he think was going to happen? (apparently he also released a hiking vid and there were neg. rumblings for that). Nash is not dumb so for me releasing the vid is quite strange.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...-entire-season

[Apollo]

My last post was in regards to comments on how the Lakers media and fans are reacting. I'm telling you that it's natural to feel that way and provided you with real examples of this same sort of thing happening in Toronto and the ensuing reactions. Let's try to put the Nash love on the backburner here for a second and try to look at this from a neutral perspective? That's my point. Nash is not Jesus.

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[Bendit]

Yes, but the comparison is not the same....and all fans are not fully cognizant of the facts all of the time. Carter dancing while rehabbing in season is very different from Nash out for the season (agreed to by the club) with no obligations to any team after this season. The CBA apparently allows this and insurance probably covers it. Agree that the vid release is a pr problem. Nash is not.Jesus...he is a god.

[JawsGT]

I have no problem with this. The dude has sacrificed his health for the love of the game, and no doubt battled through countless injuries over the course of his career for himself, his teammates, and the fans. He'll be dealing with these types of health issues for the remainder of his life. If he wants to golf with a bad back after calling it a season (career), then so be it. He's finished and everyone knows it. The Lakers were stupid enough to give him the contract in the first place. If he was younger, was still under contract beyond this season, and the Lakers actually had a chance of competing, then I may have issue.