After a 19-year-career on the court, that was hindered by injuries in the last three years, Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Nash announced Saturday that he is ready to retire. The 41-year-old Canadian wrote about his decision on The Players’ Tribune website.

"When you're a teenager with outsized dreams and a growing obsession, and someone tells you this ain't gonna last forever, it's scary," Nash wrote in The Player's Tribune, a website for which he is the senior producer. "I never forgot it."

But the 41-year-old guard for the Los Angeles Lakers wrote he was "excited to learn to do something else."

"At the heart of this letter, I'm speaking to kids everywhere who have no idea what the future holds or how to take charge of their place in it," Nash wrote. "When I think of my career, I can't help but think of the kid with his ball, falling in love. That's still what I identify with and did so throughout my entire story."

Nash was a sharp shooter on the court known for his speed, but also leaves the NBA with 10,335 assists -- the third highest figure in the league's history.

With an accuracy of 90.4%, he also retires as as the best free-throw shooter in NBA history.

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