Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash officially retired from the NBA on Saturday and also confirmed that his team announced him to delay his retirement.

Nash, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, announced that he decided to call it quits after battling injuries over the past several seasons. He officially informed his fans about his decision through a letter posted on The Players' Tribune website.

"I'm retiring," Nash wrote. "I heard someone once say there comes a day when they tell us all that we can't play anymore. We're not good enough. Surplus to requirements. Too slow, maybe. 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. I never forgot it."

Nash was acquired by the Lakers from the Phoenix Suns in 2012 for four draft picks. The veteran playmaker signed a three-year deal worth $28 million with the Lakers but failed to make an impact in Los Angeles because of a multitude of injuries during his tenure.

Nash missed 32 games during his first season in Los Angeles -- 24 games due to a broken bone in his left leg. Last season, the 41-year-old played in just 15 games because of back, knee and hamstring injuries. Before the season started, Nash was ruled out for the season because of his recurring back issues.

"When I signed with the Lakers, I had big dreams of lifting the fans up and lighting this city on fire," Nash said. "I turned down more lucrative offers to come to LA because I wanted to be in the 'fire,' and play for high risk and high reward in my last NBA chapter. In my second game here, I broke my leg and nothing was the same."

Nash, who played his best years in the league during his stint with the Phoenix Suns from 2004 to 2012, also confirmed to ESPN that he considered announcing his decision earlier in the season, but the Lakers asked him to delay his retirement to use his salary for possible deals.

"I could have medically retired," Nash said. "But they asked if I'd consider just being out for the year. Really it was about giving them an opportunity to move my salary and improve their team. For them to trade me to improve their team was something I was completely on board with‎. The organization's been unbelievable to me."

In 18 seasons in the league, Nash averaged 14.3 points to go along with 8.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. He is the all-time leader in free-throw percentage at 90.4 percent and holds the third-highest number of assists at 10,335, trailing only all-time leader John Stockton and Jason Kidd.

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