Steve Nash fights to keep ex-wife from moving to Calif.

• Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Nash says he will move back to Phoenix area after NBA retirement
• Nash is trying to persuade Arizona court to bar ex-wife from moving to Southern California
• Wife says she wants to move so three children can be closer to father%2C but would receive big payout

PHOENIX — Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash said Thursday on the witness stand in court that he expects to come back to Arizona after his NBA career.

Nash, who spent most of his career with the Phoenix Suns but now leases a home in Manhattan Beach, Calif., said he intends to keep his permanent residence in Paradise Valley, Ariz., where he has made recent renovations.

His residency has become an issue in a two-day "relocation trial" in Maricopa County Superior Court regarding his former wife and three children, and whether he would be involved in their lives. Nash's ex-wife, Alejandra Amarilla Menrath, wants Family Court Judge Thomas LeClaire to approve the relocation of their children from the Valley to Southern California.

Menrath has said she wants to move with the children to Southern California so the three kids can be closer to their father. She also has indicated the move might allow her to obtain child support from a California court.

Menrath, who lives in Paradise Valley, needs permission from the Family Court judge to relocate the children outside Arizona. If she's allowed to move, it's possible she could petition a court in California to get more money from Nash, according to attorneys in the case.

Nash, under terms of a sealed divorce settlement, does not pay child support. He pays for the children's private education and health care insurance through his employer, according to testimony.

Nash's attorneys have indicated he would like the children to attend a public school in Manhattan Beach if a judge rules they can move. Menrath wants to send the girls to a private school that is about 25 minutes from Nash's home.

Much of the hearing Thursday focused on the testimony of an educational consultant hired by Nash. The consultant said Nash's two daughters were doing well at a Valley private school, but if they were to move it would be best for the girls to attend a public school in Manhattan Beach, where Nash lives. Nash and his ex-wife also have a young son.

The couple divorced in late 2011. Nash announced they were parting ways a year earlier, on the day after the birth of the couple's son, Matteo. The couple also have twin daughters, now 8.

Wednesday, Nash was asked about his NBA career, and he said he plans to play out the final two years of his contract with the Lakers.

Nash made $8.9 million this season, and he's scheduled to make $9.3 million and $9.7 million during each of the next two years.

Craig Harris also writes for The (Phoenix) Arizona Republic