The best athletes to retire in their prime

The greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan retired in his prime twice. He retired in 1993 after the Bulls’ first three-peat. Then, he returned to the Bulls in ’95 and led them to another three-peat before retiring again. He finally retired for good with the Washington Wizards in 2003. All in all, His Airness won six NBA championships, five MVPs, and 10 scoring titles. 

The 7-foot-6 center from China became a global phenomenon with the Shanghai Sharks of the CBA before being drafted by the Houston Rockets with the first overall pick. Ming’s towering presence brought new fans to his sport in China. Because of his influence, basketball is one of the most popular sports in China. He became a walking double-double with the Rockets. 

An eight-time All-Star, Ming was hampered by foot and knee injuries that sidelined him for most of his NBA career. He retired when he was 30 years old. Before retiring, Ming launched the Rockets to new heights, turning them into a perennial playoff team. 

Brandon Roy looked like a budding star in the NBA. The Portland Trail Blazers guard won the 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year and was named to three All-Star teams before knee injuries robbed him. Roy’s high-flying playing style contributed to his knee injuries because he constantly went airborne for dunks and layups. He retired at just 27 years old because of injuries. He attempted a comeback with the Minnesota Timberwolves but retired after five games. Roy’s career is similar to Derrick Rose, another athletic guard who suffered from knee injuries. 

Magic Johnson blew up in the ’80s as the leader of the Showtime Lakers. They won five championships. Magic was known for his flashy passes, clutch playoff performances, and battles with the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. At the start of the 1991 season, Magic was forced to retire after being diagnosed with HIV. Magic was in his prime, losing to the Bulls in the NBA Finals the previous season. He made a brief comeback in 1996 with the Lakers and then called it a career. Johnson, one of the greatest point guards of all time, has become a beacon of hope for others with HIV. 

NFL legend Pat Tillman spent four years with the Arizona Cardinals as a safety. It looked like he was building a long career in the NFL. Then, 9/11 happened. Tillman retired from football and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was deployed to Afghanistan and served several tours with the Army Rangers. In 2004, he was killed in combat by friendly fire during Operation Enduring Freedom. Pat Tillman is remembered as an American hero. 

Andrew Luck came out of Stanford as one of the greatest quarterback prospects ever. He was compared to John Elway and Peyton Manning. When the Colts drafted him with the first overall pick in 2012, he looked like a superstar. Luck led the Colts to three consecutive playoff appearances and led the league in passing touchdowns in 2014. Then, everything changed. 

Luck was getting beat up every game behind the Colts’ porous offensive line, and the front office failed to build a team around him. A lacerated kidney and an injury to his throwing shoulder were big hits toward his love for the game. Luck limped into retirement because of injuries at 29 in 2019. The Colts have been stuck in limbo ever since he retired.  

Calvin Johnson became one of the best wide receivers in NFL history with the Detroit Lions. He broke the single-season receiving yards record in 2012 with 1,964 yards. His superhuman athletic ability earned him the nickname Megatron. He retired after spending nine years with the Detroit Lions at 30. His career is reminiscent of another Lions great: Barry Sanders. 

If you want a long and successful career, don’t sign with the Detroit Lions. Barry Sanders was a walking highlight reel with the Lions. He was the best running back in the ’90s, along with Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith. Sanders spent 10 seasons in the NFL before retiring at 30. His retirement shocked many. Sanders showed no signs of slowing down. He was climbing the NFL’s all-time leading rusher list when he retired and came close to breaking the record. But the weight of all the losing seasons with the Lions took its toll on his love for the game.

NFL legend Patrick Willis was the leader of the San Francisco 49ers‘ defense during the late ’00s and ’10s. He won the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2007 and went to the Pro Bowl in seven of his eight NFL seasons. He also led the league in tackles twice. Under Willis’ leadership, the 49ers possessed one of the best front sevens in the game. Just two years after losing Super Bowl XLVII, Willis hung up the cleats with his health intact. 

Luke Kuechly spent his entire career with the Carolina Panthers. The swarming linebacker burst onto the scene by winning the 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year and then followed that up by winning the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year. He was the leader of the 2015 Panthers, a team that went 15-1 and lost Super Bowl 50 to the Broncos. He walked away from the game at 29 because of concerns over injuries and the desire to live a healthy life after retirement. His career may’ve been short, but Kuechly was one of the best linebackers of his era. 

Jim Brown was a dominant force in the NFL during its early days. Brown spent his entire career with the Cleveland Browns. He won eight rushing titles in nine years and guided the Browns to victory in the 1964 NFL Championship. With nothing left to prove, Brown retired at 29 as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 12,312 yards. 

Terrell Davis’ career was short, but it was still phenomenal. He rushed for 1,000 yards in his first four seasons as the Denver Broncos‘ workhorse back. He helped the Broncos win back-to-back Super Bowls. During the 1998 season, Davis became one of the only running backs in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season and won the NFL MVP. He retired at 29 due to lingering knee injuries. 

When healthy, Rob Gronkowski was the best tight end in the game. He became Tom Brady’s go-to target and put up big numbers in the regular season and playoffs. He won four Super Bowls — three with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers. Unfortunately, injuries ravaged his career, and he retired in 2019 as a Super Bowl champion. He reunited with Brady in Tampa Bay and won another Super Bowl before hanging up the cleats for good. Gronk was ranked as the second-best tight end ever, per CBS Sports. 

The New York Giants‘ all-time leading rusher, Tiki Barber was a superstar in the league’s biggest market. He went to three Pro Bowls and retired at age 31 because of Giants head coach Tom Coughlin’s coaching style and the physical toll the game took on his body. Barber retired after five consecutive seasons with 1,000 rushing yards or more. The Giants won the Super Bowl a year after Barber retired. He missed the opportunity to walk away from the game as a champion. 

When the San Francisco 49ers drafted Chris Borland out of Wisconsin, they thought he would become their starting linebacker for the foreseeable future. Borland abruptly retired from the game after his rookie year. He made 107 tackles and logged two interceptions in his lone season. Borland gave up millions and retired from the NFL because of fear over concussions and head trauma. Borland’s retirement reignited the conversation about football and head injuries. 

Rocky Marciano is a name synonymous with greatness. Marciano dominated the heavyweight division in the 1950s. He retired as the world’s heavyweight champion at 32 with a 49-0 record (43 KOs). He is the only fighter to beat every opponent he fought for the heavyweight belt. The heavyweight division is full of giants. And Marciano’s legacy surpasses all of them. 

Floyd Mayweather became a household name in the 2000s as a world-class boxer who beat his opponents with supreme defense and accurate punches. He retired with a perfect record (50-0, 27 KOs). He was nicknamed Money Mayweather because of his habit of flexing his rich lifestyle and making hundreds of millions from one fight. He retired numerous times but always returned to the ring if the money was right. Money Mayweather fought in 18 pay-per-views and had a 26-0 record in world title fights. While Money Mayweather has stepped back into the ring to fight celebrities and influencers in exhibition matches, it appears his professional career is over. 

Heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs) separated himself from the competition in one of the heavyweight division’s best eras. The British brawler beat the likes of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Tommy Morrison, and Vitali Klitschko during his career. He retired from boxing as the reigning Heavyweight Champion at 38. 

Fighting out of the Bay Area, Andrew Ward was a force in the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He compiled a 32-0 record (16 KOs) and went undefeated in championship bouts. In 2017, Ward stepped away from boxing with his health and settled into a fine post-career as a boxing analyst on ESPN. 

The greatest UFC fighter of all time, St-Pierre (26-2) overcame the adversity of being bullied growing up and took over the welterweight division. A UFC Hall of Famer, he vacated the welterweight title in 2013, ending one of the longest title streaks in UFC history. St-Pierre came out of retirement in 2017 and became one of the only fighters in UFC history to be a multi-division champion by defeating Michael Bisping for the middleweight title. He vacated the title due to ulcerative colitis. 

Khabib Nuragomedov won the UFC Lightweight Championship in April 2018 and never looked back. He had three successful title defenses. He defeated big names such as Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Rafael Dos Anjos throughout his career. At just 32 years old, he retired as the reigning lightweight champion. He retired because of his father’s death and the promise he made to his mother to leave the octagon behind. Since then, he’s shown no signs of making a comeback. 

Baseball legend Lou Gehrig spent 17 years with the New York Yankees. He recorded 493 home runs and 1,995 RBIs. Gehrig won the Triple Crown in 1934. He also won six World  Series and two AL MVPs. He retired from the game after being diagnosed with ALS. He gave a beautiful farewell speech at Yankee Stadium. Gehrig passed away in 1941 and is remembered as a giant in the sport of baseball.

Arguably the greatest athlete of all time, Bo Jackson played running back for the then-Los Angeles Raiders and as an outfielder for the Kansas City Chiefs. Before turning pro, he was a star running back at Auburn, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1985. He’s the only athlete to go to the NFL’s Pro Bowl and the MLB’s All-Star Game. His career changed forever after he dislocated his hip in a playoff win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Jackson retired from football after the game and stuck with baseball. Three years later, he retired from baseball in 1994 after a stint with the California Angels. What could’ve been? 

Sandy Koufax was a phenomenal pitcher for the Brooklyn and L.A. Dodgers. Koufax won his third Cy Young Award in his last season in the pros. He won four World Series, pitched four no-hitters, and had one perfect game. He retired from baseball because of chronic arthritis. In his prime, Koufax was one of the best pitchers of his era. 

NHL legend Ken Dryden made his debut in 1971 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as a rookie. It was the start of a great career. As the goalie of the Canadiens, he won six Stanley Cups in eight seasons. He retired at 31 and is remembered as one of the greatest goalies of all time. 

NHL legend Bobby Orr won two Stanley Cups, two Conn Smythe Trophies, and three Hart Trophies on his way to becoming one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history. He spent most of his career with the Boston Bruins and retired at 30. 

When Usain Bolt retired from track and field in 2017, he went down as the greatest sprinter of all time. The pride and joy of Jamaica, he participated in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics. Bolt won eight Gold medals. 

Bjorn Borg was a dominant force in tennis in the 1970s. The Swedish sensation got his professional start as a teenager and reached international stardom as the face of tennis. He won 11 Grand Slam titles in eight years. At his peak, he was unstoppable. Borg shocked the world when he retired at the age of 26. Borg came back in 1991 but went winless and retired again in 1993.

Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz won seven Gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Mark the Shark retired after the ’72 Olympics at 22 years old. Spitz took advantage of his fame and had a successful career outside of swimming, thanks to endorsements and other opportunities.