Top 5 NBA players who were forced to retire feat. Elgin Baylor

Basketball players usually dream of a long and successful career in the NBA. Very rarely will a someone retire after a few seasons in the biggest and most lucrative league in the world. Unless there is a grave reason to do so, they usually aim to be part of the league for at least over a decade.

Longevity has turned out to be something some players couldn’t achieve. Some played long enough but could have played more until their careers ended abruptly and with finality. From superstar to a member of a supporting cast, there have been different reasons why players quit sooner than expected.

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Players who had to quit from the NBA

#5 Shawn Kemp

Shawn Kemp was one of the NBA’s top power forwards in the mid-90s. He was arguably the league’s most explosive player who was a staple in highlight reels. Together with Gary Payton, they made the Seattle SuperSonics an exciting team to watch.

Kemp’s weight issues and addiction, however, took a toll on him. The Orlando Magic did not give him a new deal after the 2002-03 season. No other team also offered the “Reign Man” a contract to stay in the league.

Shawn Kemp attempted a comeback multiple times but wasted those opportunities by failing to show up. He did that to the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets. The six-time All-Star eventually played in Italy before calling it quits.

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#4 Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas was only 30 years old when his career in the NBA ended. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2009 and was out of the league after the 2011-12 season. “Agent Zero” took his talent to China when no team would sign him. He retired from basketball after one year with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Arenas was an explosive scorer before knee injuries robbed him of his scoring abilities. He had a three-year stretch where he was an All-Star and easily one of the league’s deadliest scorers. Arenas was also involved in a gun-drawing incident with former teammate Javaris Crittenton.

Commissioner David Stern suspended him for 50 games in 2010. Gilbert Arenas never became the player he once was following his injuries and run-in with the law.

#3 Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson’s NBA career didn’t have the ending reserved for icons of the game. The beginning of the end started after the Denver Nuggets traded him to the Detroit Pistons. Then Pistons coach Michael Curry wanted the former MVP to come off the bench. “AI” pushed back saying he would rather retire than agree to that.

After his short stint in Detroit, Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. Like the Pistons, the Grizzlies wanted him to become part of the bench. He didn’t waste time leaving the team. Iverson played only three games for the Grizzlies before the point guard and the team mutually agreed to terminate his contract.

Allen Iverson’s NBA career could have had a Hollywood ending when he decided to return to Philadelphia. Like what he did in Memphis, “The Answer” also left the 76ers for “personal reasons.” Iverson reportedly had to help his daughter deal with an ailment called Kawasaki Disease.

Iverson couldn’t sign with an NBA team so he went to Turkey to play pro basketball. He suffered a calf injury 10 games into his career with Besiktas. He went back to the USA to undergo rehab and never returned.

From an NBA superstar, Allen Iverson’s only offer came from the Texas Legends in the D League. Instead of doing that, he retired in 2013.

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#2 Elgin Baylor

Injuries to both of his knees were Elgin Baylor’s bane. He first suffered a devastating injury in the 1965 NBA Western playoffs. Although he averaged 24.4 PPG in his next six seasons, his mobility steadily deteriorated.

At the start of the 70s, the LA Lakers wanted to play behind a running game, something that Baylor could no longer excel in. The same nagging issues forced him to play two games in the 1970-71 season.

Lakers coach Bill Sharman reportedly asked the legendary forward to come off the bench. Elgin Baylor refused and eventually retired after nine games in the 1971-72 season.

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#1 Larry Sanders

Larry Sanders was out of the NBA when he was only 28 years old. He signed a four-year $44 million rookie extension in August 2013 with the Milwaukee Bucks. The following season, the first year the deal would kick in, he walked away from it citing mental health as the reason.

Sanders sat out the entire 2015-16 NBA campaign for the same reason before attempting a comeback the following year. He lasted only five games before quitting for the final time.