However, the Phoenix faithful showered Nash with plenty of appreciation during a first-quarter timeout, as the video screen showed a highlight reel from the two-time MVP’s eight seasons with the Suns, while Diddy’s “Coming Home” blasted over the loudspeakers.

Canadian flags waved, homemade “We Love Steve” signs were held up and the majority of U.S. Airways Center gave Nash a standing ovation after taking in a video that showed off the point guard throwing alley-oop passes, swishing 3-pointers with ease and sporting a variety of haircuts.

“It was a great reception; obviously this is a very special place for me,” Nash said after finishing with 11 points and two assists in the Lakers’ 92-86 loss to the Suns. “To be in front of these incredible fans — I’m very grateful for the reception but also for my time here, which was the best years of my life.”

After seeing the Suns’ video tribute, Nash said, “Very flattering and very sweet of the organization. It was very kind of them.”

Nash was drafted by the Suns with the 15th overall pick in the 1996 draft and spent his first two seasons in Phoenix before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He had a big game the last time he returned to Phoenix as a visitor, racking up nine points and 14 assists on April 3, 2004, as a member of the Mavs. The Suns signed him as a free agent in 2004 and he went on to win two MVP awards.

“I really want our team to try to get a win and continue to improve,” Nash said before the game when asked if he wanted to have an impactful performance in his return Wednesday. “It has been a really up-and-down season, obviously. I hope a little bit of momentum can keep us going.”

Nash, who turns 39 in February, said he had planned to retire with the Suns before the offseason unfolded.

“I thought that’s the way it was going. I thought I would retire in Phoenix. But it’s a difficult business to make any sort of predictions like that,” Nash said. “It just became apparent in the last couple months before free agency that that wouldn’t be a home run, and that’s when other options started to become a reality. … It just felt like they wanted to perhaps go in a new direction.”

It was also a homecoming of sorts for Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, who was with Nash in Phoenix from 2003-08, taking the team to two Western Conference finals.

“Sometimes you have a bunch of guys that you think everywhere should be like this and you take it for granted how they clicked and how good it was and how much fun it was to watch them every day,” D’Antoni said. “You kind of take it for granted after a while.

“You’re chasing the championship, you’re chasing this and you forget what we had was good and sometimes you should take care of it a little bit better. I probably didn’t do that.”

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Matsui, known as “Godzilla,” hit .282 with 175 home runs in 10 big league seasons with the Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays. He batted .147 in 34 games with Tampa Bay last season before the Rays released him in August.

Matsui finished second to Kansas City shortstop Angel Berroa in the 2003 American League Rookie of the Year balloting, made two All-Star teams and won the 2009 World Series MVP award with New York after hitting .615 (8 for 14) with three home runs against the Philadelphia Phillies. He joined Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as the third player to hit .500 or better with three homers in the same World Series. In October, San Francisco’s Pablo Sandoval became the fourth hitter and the first non-Yankee to achieve the feat.

Matsui signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Yankees as a free agent in December 2002 after a successful 10-year run in Japan, during which he won three Central League MVP awards. After the 2005 season, the Yankees kept him in the fold with a four-year, $52 million extension.

Derek Jeter called Matsui one of his “favorite” teammates.

“I’ve said it numerous times over the years, but it’s worth repeating now. I’ve had a lot of teammates over the years with the Yankees, but I will always consider Hideki one of my favorites,” Jeter said in a release. “The way he went about his business day in and day out was impressive. Despite being shadowed by a large group of reporters, having the pressures of performing for his fans both in New York and Japan and becoming acclimated to the bright lights of New York City, he always remained focused and committed to his job and to those of us he shared the clubhouse with. I have a lot of respect for Hideki. He was someone we counted on a great deal and he’s a big reason why we became World Champions in 2009.”

Known for his durability, Matsui appeared in 1,768 consecutive games to begin his career before a fractured wrist ended the streak in 2006.

The Japanese news outlet Sanspo earlier reported Matsui’s retirement.

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