Looking back at Allen Iverson’s retirement, there were a hefty amount of highlights but no championships.
An oft-overlooked achievement he did accomplish, however was the fact he took his career full circle by retiring with his original team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
When Larry Bird or Magic Johnson are immortalized in sports specials and documentaries, their complete involvement with their respective franchises are duly worth noting.
For some NBA stars, they were faced with similar crossroads and picked the path that seemed to be enticing at the time, but ultimately did nothing for their legacy.
Just face it: everybody can’t be like LeBron.
Here’s 10 NBA Stars That Should Have Retired With Their OG Team. Sometimes, quitting isn’t losing.
—
Photo: NBA, Xinhua, Hoopeduponline, Sports Illustrated
Robert Parish
Boston Celtics: 1980-1994
Chicago Bulls: 1996-1997
“The Chief” was a vital component during the Celt’s glory years but benchwarmed his way to a championship with the Bulls amid their historic run of 72 regular season wins. You can’t knock the hustle, though.
Hakeem Olajuwon
Houston Rockets: 1980-2001
Toronto Raptors: 2001-2002
Arguably one of the greatest centers of to ever do it, (he’s the NBA’s all-time leader in blocks), Hakeem “The Dream” saw his numbers dwindle to career lows while riding the pine in Canada. This is the Toronto that Drake grew up to.
Shaquille O’Neal
Los Angeles Lakers: 1996-2004
Phoenix Suns/Cleveland Cavaliers/Boston Celtics: One year each.
Shaq delivered on his promise to bringing a championship to Miami but the only thing he delivered in PHX, CLE and BOS were intense moments of struggle.
Shawn Kemp
Seattle Supersonics: 1989-1997
Orlando Magic: 2002-2003
The high-flying dunker in Shawn Kemp saw a mid-career resurgence with the Cleveland Cavs but come the end of his playing career, it seemed like burgers and baby mamas got the best of him.
Karl Malone
Utah Jazz: 1984-2003
Los Angeles Lakers: 2003-2004
Attempting to take a page out of the Clyde Drexler handbook for switching teams to get the chip, “The Mailman” was a year late on arrival to L.A. as the Detroit Pistons closed out the Shaq era with their first title in 14 years.
Dominique Wilkins
Atlanta Hawks: 1982-94
Orlando Magic: 1999
In all fairness, The Human Highlight Reel was ostracized from nearly every accolade the NBA had to offer during his tenure with the league. Still, there was nothing magical about retiring in Orlando.
Steve Francis
Houston Rockets: 1999-2004
Beijing Ducks: 2010
Stevie “Franchise” was close to avoiding this list but he insisted on starting his ascension to The Struggle Files, averaging 0.5 points per game during a brief stint with a Chinese squad.
Tracy McGrady
Houston Rockets: 2004-2010
San Antonio Spurs: 2013
There’s a lot of love for T-Mac ’round these parts but watching his feeble attempts to get on the scoring board in last year’s NBA Finals was definitely not pimpin’.
Patrick Ewing
New York Knicks: 1985-2000
Seattle Supersonics/Orlando Magic: 2000-2001/2001-2002
The former leader of the Knicks is one of the biggest sweet and sour players ever. After consistently failing to bring the trophy home to Madison Square Garden, he took [what was left of] his talents out west and then down south to fade away with just a whisper.
Michael Jordan
Chicago Bulls: 1984-1993/1995-1998
Washington Wizards: 2001-2003
This guy. Not only was he blessed with the talent to being the GOAT but he was fortunate enough to finish his career by hitting a game-winning jumper to nab his sixth ring. What did he do? Don a Wizards jersey to become a player/coach for Kwame Brown.
Oh, well. He’s rich and living the life.
