OAKLAND — Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Steve Nash, who announced his retirement Saturday after 19 NBA seasons, “helped change the game.”

He also said Nash was the player who came to mind the first time he watched Stephen Curry play in college.

“It’s a fair comparison,” Kerr said during his pregame news conference. “I first saw it when I was in Phoenix and I scouted Steph when he was at Davidson. I think he was a sophomore.

“We walked away going, ‘That’s the next Nash.'”

Nash, 41, who first came to prominence at Santa Clara, had not played this season for the Los Angeles Lakers because of health issues. The two-time MVP retired as the NBA’s third all-time assist leader with 10,335, behind only John Stockton and Jason Kidd.

“The way he played he affected an entire generation of players,” said Kerr, who was general manager in Phoenix when Nash played for the Suns. “Steve is also partly responsible for the wave of ball movement we’re seeing around the league.

“Steve is more than just an All-Star and a Hall of Famer, I think he’s helped change the game and inspire a lot of players. It’s pretty incredible what he’s accomplished.”

Kerr said Nash and Curry have similar skill sets but give those skills different priorities.

“The combination of the ballhandling, the shooting, anticipation, feel — very similar skill set,” Kerr said. “Very different approach, though. Steve was really a pass-first point guard, a reluctant shooter in some ways.

“Steph is just an assassin out there with his shot. He’s looking to shoot first and set the game up with his passing and moving the ball and creating offense for others.”

Nash’s impact is felt beyond what he achieved on the court, Kerr said.

“Steve is probably the hardest-working player I’ve ever seen in my life. He sort of took the phrase ‘work ethic’ to a new level. Because it wasn’t just, ‘Man, that guy gets to the gym every day and gets his shots up,'” Kerr said.

“He literally was intellectually curious about training and conditioning and diet. Every possible angle he could find, he found. A lot of teams around the league are going to him for advice on strength and conditioning programs.”

Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter at twitter.com/Jeff Faraudo.