From Kobe to Tim Duncan, a look back at the NBA stars who recently retired
A list of players who hung it up and who could go next
By
Matt Moore
•
10 min read
Nothing tells you that we've entered a new era in the NBA like the retirement of legendary players. When Shaquille O'Neal hung it up in 2011, it felt like the end of the era of dominant big men. Allen Iverson's 2010 retirement not only meant saying goodbye to an iconic figure, it also meant an end to the post-Jordan era dominated by high-volume, inefficient scorers.
Between 2015 and 2016, true legendary players decided to walk away. And 2017 looks to mark the end of more future Hall of Fame careers. Here's a look back at the great players who retired in the past 14 months, and what their careers meant to the NBA, as well as an early look at the players you should appreciate this season before they're gone.
The Legends
Kobe Bryant
Retired: April 13, 2016
Regular season: 33,643 points (3rd all-time), 7,047 rebounds, 6,306 assists (29th all-time), 44.7 percent career field-goal percentage
Playoffs: 5,640 points (3rd all-time), 1,119 rebounds, 1,040 assists (9th all-time)
Championships: Five, and he let you know it all the time
What he'll be remembered as: The second-greatest shooting guard of all-time behind Michael Jordan. The greatest Los Angeles Laker of all-time, which is a great deal better than "the greatest Indiana Pacer" or "the greatest Memphis Grizzly." Bryant will be remembered as the fiercest competitor the sport has ever seen after Jordan, and his 2006 season will remain etched in history as perhaps the finest individual scoring season ever. A divisive player due to the drama that followed him on and off the court, Bryant was the subject of constant arguments over his effectiveness and results vs. his inefficiency and decision making.
He did things his way, and walked out after scoring 60 points on 50 shots in what couldn't have been a better finishing stat line.
Hall of Fame? First ballot.
Tim Duncan
Retired: July 11, 2016
Regular season: 26,496 points (17th all-time), 15,091 rebounds (7th all-time), 3,020 blocks (6th all-time)
Playoffs: 5,172 points (6th all-time) 2,859 rebounds (3rd all-time), 568 blocks (1st all-time)
Championships: Five
What he'll be remembered as: The greatest power forward of all time. All the success of Kobe Bryant without any of the baggage. A player whose contributions extended far beyond the box score, and who had a huge impact from his first season in the league all the way through the 2015 season. Duncan's game transcended the game defensively, and the absence of a Defensive Player of the Year Award for him shows the issues with how that award is configured. Duncan left very little imprint on the culture of basketball; he kept to himself, and would wear sweatpants instead of suits after games. He just did his job, better than anyone, and won, constantly. He was the biggest reason for the Spurs winning in four of the five title seasons, and helped San Antonio rattle off 19 straight 50-win seasons.
Hall of Fame? First ballot.
Amar'e Stoudemire
Retired: July 26, 2016
Regular season: 15,994 points, 6,632 rebounds, 1,050 assists, 1,054 blocks
Playoffs: 1,461 points, 574 rebounds, 104 blocks
What he'll be remembered as: The fierce finisher of Seven Seconds or Less. Stoudemire, at his peak, was an MVP-caliber player; from 2007-2010 it was Stoudemire, Duncan and Kevin Garnett for best power forward in the league. His defense was never good, but he was as pivotal to D'Antoni's Suns as Steve Nash was. His versatility left offensive devastation in his wake. Stoudemire's dunks were strikes from Thor's hammer, his elbow jumper when the defense panicked to close off the drive were as precise as assembly-line maneuvers. Stoudemire brought style and intellectual curiosity to the game. In New York, he helped revitalize a franchise that had become a punchline. His time with the Knicks was a disappointment due to the effects of injuries that robbed him of what would have been a perennial All-Star career well into his mid-30s. There are a lot of what if's with Stoudemire's career: What if he hadn't had microfracture surgery, which was phased out in subsequent years by doctors for the most part? What if Robert Horry doesn't hip-check Steve Nash, or the league hadn't suspended Stoudemire in the 2007 series vs. the Spurs? What if Stoudemire stays in Phoenix with the training staff? What if the Knicks never trade for Melo? Lot of questions, but for the time Stoudemire was a star, he was dominant.
Hall of Fame: Possible, but it's going to take some time. Stoudemire is 19th among active players on the Basketball Reference index, and the all-time players nestled around him (Dennis Rodman, Mitch Richmond) are in. Stoudemire was a top-five player for a five-year stretch between 2006 and 2010, part of a team that redefined offensive basketball and was a perennial title contender.
However, all of those things should apply to Chris Webber, and he's constantly snubbed. It could take a while for STAT to get in.
'I REMEMBER THAT GUY, HE WAS GOOD'
Shawn Marion
Retired: June 18, 2015
What he'll be remembered as: The Matrix. Marion was the third key member of Seven Seconds or Less, and his departure in trade, ironically at the hands of Steve Kerr for Shaquille O'Neal because Kerr thought the team needed to get bigger, signaled the end of that run for the Suns. Marion did absolutely everything for the Suns. He was their best defender, rebounder and an under-appreciated scorer. He would go on to play a key role for the 2011 championship team in Dallas.
Marion has a substantial Hall of Fame case based on his career stat thresholds, combined with his championship win.
Elton Brand
What he'll be remembered as: Brand was once a leading power forward in the league. His mid-00's stint with the Clippers looked like it might finally turn around the league's longest-running joke of a franchise. His 2006 season was a temple to excellence: 24.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 53 percent from the field. He jumped to Philadelphia in what was a shocking free agency move, only for the knee injury he suffered his final year in L.A. to remove his status as a top-notch player.
A fun what if? If Brand returns to full health and All-Star play, the Sixers likely challenge as a mid-tier seed in the East, avoiding the purgatory status that precipitated their blow-up of the team. Andre Iguodala never goes to Denver, and so never faces Golden State, and so never jumps to the Warriors after. The "Process" never takes place and the controversial Sam Hinkie ever never exists. The Sixers might be worse off, but everything changed when Brand was unable to live up to that contract.
Andrei Kirilenko
Retired: June 23, 2015
What he'll be remembered as: The prototype for the modern international forward. AK-47 was Porzingis before Porzingis was Porzingis, and a player that helped Utah reach a conference finals in 2007. Kirilenko somehow shed the "soft" label so many international players suffer with, but the league wasn't really ready for his kind of ultra-versatility. In today's NBA, teams would be jumping over each other to draft him and put him in the Draymond Green role.
Kenyon Martin
Retired: July 2, 2015
What he'll be remembered as: Not a gentle soul. Martin would come to be known as an enforcer in his later years, but it should be noted that in his early career, he was a crucial member of the Nets squad that reached two NBA Finals. Sure, those teams were abominations and still stand as evidence of why the league needs to eliminate conferences, but he was a really good player early in his career. With Denver, he helped make the team legit as they reached the Western Conference finals in 2010. A very tough individual.
Jason Richardson
Retired: September 23, 2015
What he'll be remembered as: He'll be most remembered as a two-time dunk champ, and to be sure, his performances were legendary.
But Richardson was also an important player under the radar. He was a pivotal member of the 2007 "We Believe" Warriors that up-ended the 2007 67-win Mavericks. (And if that team doesn't pull off that win, they don't shell out money for replaceable players, which set off the rebuild, which led to drafting Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. It's all connected.) Richardson also helped the 2010 Suns make their Western Conference finals run in 2010.
Injuries took away his late prime, which is a bummer, because as the league moved to being 3-point prominent, he would have thrived with his defensive aptitude and range.
Hedo Turkoglu
Retired: November 13, 2015
What he'll be remembered as: Oh, Hedo. Turkoglu was a dead contract later in his career after he left the Magic and became a punchline. But for those few, brief years in Orlando, he was something special. A point forward who helped preface the emergence of such players paired with Rashard Lewis around Dwight Howard and wrecked league expectations. The Magic crashed the 2009 playoffs, taking out the Celtics (without Kevin Garnett who was out with injury) and LeBron James' Cavaliers before falling to the Lakers. Turkoglu fell off a cliff the minute he signed with the Raptors, but for a few years in Orlando he helped make that team dangerous.
Sasha Kaun
Retired: July 25, 2016
What he'll be remembered as: The 2016 Cavaliers' victory cigar who was long-rumored to join the NBA from Russia, came over, played a season, and retired. Which is the best possible NBA career I can imagine.
APPRECIATE NOW, GONE TOMORROW
Dirk Nowitzki
The Big German signed a new two-year deal with the Mavericks but could walk away at any time. His legacy is secure, the Mavericks aren't competing for a title. If this is the last year of the Dirkus Circus, it was an incredible run, by one of the best individual scoring forces in NBA history and one of the most lovable personalities of his era.
Kevin Garnett
Garnett played so far past his prime that it's easy to lose track of what he was in it. Garnett was a force unlike anything ever seen in the NBA in his younger days, a point forward who could shoot from anywhere, post-up, drive and defended like a rabid Bengal tiger. He is beloved in both Minnesota and Boston, and his MVP time with the Wolves featured seasons which were individually better than anything Duncan ever produced, even if Duncan's overall career was superior due to consistency, longevity and titles.
Manu Ginobili
Few players have thrilled fans internationally like Ginobili, and for a time, he was the best player on the Spurs, particularly during their 2005 title run. Ginobili has nearly called it a career the past two years but elected to come back for one more season. A gracious spirit behind a fierce competitor, the game will be worse when Manu Euro-steps his way off stage.
Vince Carter
Half-man, half-insanity, Carter was a phenom in Toronto, an MVP candidate in New Jersey for a title contender, a crucial component to another contender in Orlando, and a quality veteran role player in his later career. The dunk contest will always be his legacy, but if this is his last year, the way he has grown into the fabric of NBA culture should be appreciated.
Paul Pierce
The Truth still hasn't decided if he's coming back for another season, but if he decides to walk away, he does so as one of the best, and maybe most underrated stars of his era. His early run with the Celtics in the early 00's are forgotten because of the Big 3 era in Boston, but Pierce was an outrageous scorer who dragged horrible teams to the playoffs and in upsets. Pierce was always a guy you hated to see suit up for the other team, and he always let you know it.
David West
West signed on with the Warriors on a minimum deal to ring chase; it's clear that's all that remains on his list. But West, in both Indiana and New Orleans, helped his team be a title contender not only with that jumper that made him the 18-foot-assassin, but his toughness and no-B.S. character. David West has kept it real his entire career. His time with the Hornets in New Orleans should not be overlooked for its efficiency and quality.
Andre Miller
The professor is 40, but his game is as old as time. Whenever Miller decides it's time, the league will lose a player that resonated from another era, was always beloved by teammates, and helped his team win no matter where he was. Miller set a tone for the locker room without ever needing the attention.
