13 Best Retired NBA Players

13 Best Retired NBA Players

Since the NBA’s founding in 1946, many outstanding players have competed and retired. Consequently, today’s topic will be the top retired NBA players. There are many outstanding athletes in the NBA. A roster for an NBA team has included more than 4509 players.

As a result, ranking players based on large numbers is never easy.

Comparisons between different eras of play are more difficult because the style of play changes with each generation.

For instance, shooters dominate the game today, whereas centers dominated it a few years ago.

With all these different skill sets, IQs, athleticism, and play styles, ranking and comparing the best players is difficult—even for former NBA players.

More Face About Year NBA Players Retired

13. Paul Pierce

In the early 2000s, “The Truth” really proclaimed his dominance.

He recreated a championship-caliber team with the Boston Celtics.

He assembled a super team with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rand, and himself.

With the roster, they had great success, but their time was up much sooner than they had anticipated.

Pierce only had one championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008 as a result.

The MVP award for the finals went to him as well for his outstanding performance.

Furthermore, the small forward’s game revolved around buckets.

Throughout his 15-year tenure with the team, he was the team’s scoring and free throw shooting leader.

He is also one of three Celtics players with a career total of more than 20,000 points.

John Havlicek and Larry Bird make up the final two.

He also played for the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers, among other teams.

He is also a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and a ten-time All-Star.

12. Ray Allen

Allen previously held the title of the best shooter in the league before Steph Curry ascended to the throne.

Before Curry broke it in 2021, Sugar Ray held the record for the most three-pointers made in NBA history.

He is still remembered as one of the best shooters, though.

Allen was a valuable player for all teams. Nearly every NBA team targeted him when he was at his best.

But Ray was very particular about his preferences.

As a result, he only ever participated in elite teams like Boston, Miami, Milwaukee, and Seattle.

He also won two NBA championships with Boston and Miami.

He is well known for his crucial three-pointer that kept Miami’s playoff hopes alive.

Additionally, he quickly found success in Boston with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

However, following the 2009 campaign, they were unable to move past LeBron’s Heat.

Allen decided to join the Heats as a result.

Unfortunately, this caused Garnett and Pierce to have a lot of bad blood between them.

He is one of the best retired NBA players overall and the best shooter in the history of the league.

11. Steve Nash

Steve Nash, the current head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, once wreaked havoc on the league as a guard.

Though he played for 19 years, he was never a champion.

He nevertheless earned two rings while serving as a consultant for the Golden State Worriers.

Additionally, he is likely to win multiple rings while serving as the Nets’ head coach.

In addition, he has eight NBA All-Star appearances and is a two-time league MVP.

His final years were spent playing for the Lakers, the team he had built to be unbeatable.

But despite their best efforts, that team abjectly failed to stand out in the league.

Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Paul Gasol, and Metta World Peace make up the team.

Clark Nash

Steve Nash, a former NBA point guard

These players combined to form a super team.

They had high expectations for the team, but they were let down by the lack of chemistry.

In addition, Nash is revered as the Suns’ legendary player.

Even though Steve was unable to win the championship, most of the time he came close.

He is also among the league’s smartest players, to put it another way.

Nash is therefore included on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

10. Vince Carter

Vince Carter’s face would be the face of longevity.

But for 22 seasons, he has been the only player in the league.

He also participated in the league for four distinct decades.

Carter put on his jersey and prepared to fight every night from 1999 to 2020.

It surprises me to see him play for such a prolonged period.

It’s a miracle that even his body held up for that long.

He played a long season, but he was never the NBA champion or the league MVP.

He is, however, highly regarded in the NBA for his incredible dedication.

In the same way, his well-known signature dunks from the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest are still recalled and imitated today.

He participated in eight different teams throughout his career.

Furthermore, he would still be jumping with most young players if his body hadn’t given up on him.

Carter’s career was coming to an end, but Vince was still not afraid to flash his hoops.

He continued to rise to dunk with the same fervor as in his early years.

As a result, Carter is considered to be one of the best retired NBA players.

9. Dwyane Wade

The NBA was shaped into what it is today thanks to the flash.

Dominant centers and power forwards dominated the sport in the 1990s.

Wade and Iverson, for example, demonstrated that height is not the only requirement for great basketball play.

Wade brought the Miami Heat an NBA championship three years after joining the team.

Wade became his team’s youngest leader while most rookies were still figuring out their responsibilities.

Not to mention, he was named the MVP of the Finals.

NBA playoffs all-time leading scorers

Dwyane Wade while he was a member of the Miami Heat

Wade also became the ninth guard in NBA history to win the Finals MVP award.

Guards didn’t often win that award, even though centers or forwards typically did.

Therefore, Dwyane’s ability to win this award just three years after entering the league speaks volumes about his successful career.

Overall, he is a legend and a huge role model for the Heats.

His dedication and hard work have made him a star and one of the best retired NBA players of all time.

8. Tracy McGrady

Talking about the offensive threat in the early 2000s, Tracy McGrady made a list first.

He was an enhanced offensive weapon who could score from anywhere.

If he could have only dealt with championship-caliber teams, then he would’ve helped them reach their goal quickly and more efficiently.

Nevertheless, McGrady has solidified his legacy as the greatest shooter.

His prime came during his time as a member of the Huston Rockets.

He was tearing the league’s defense with his offensive skills.

He just wouldn’t stop scoring, and if you double-teamed him, Tracy’s teammate Yao Ming finished the job for him.

However, the playoff-contending Rockets team fell apart due to the lack of good role players, and Ming often got injured.

Further, there were even rumors that Tracy might need up with Kobe’s Lakers.

But that just remained to be rumor and nothing much.

It would have been epic to see the two best shooters be paired up.

Pretty sure they would have been known as the original “Splash Brothers”, instead of Klay and Steph of GSW.

7. Kevin Garnett

Garnett has always been known for his hard-fought victories.

He was a ferocious competitor who never allowed his opponent to win.

His efforts clearly showed during the regular games where he defensively used to lock a star player.

Further, KG used to hold them to fewer points offensively.

Primarily, he was recognized during the Boston Celtics’ big 3 eras.

The big 3 consist of Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, and himself.

With this three-player lineup, they won the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

However, after the departure of Ray Allen and the formation of LeBron’s Heat team, they were no longer on top.

Nevertheless, they formed another big 3 in the Nets Pierce, himself, and Deron Williams.

Also, they had a solid player in the form of Joe Johnson.

However, they could never prevail against the LeBron-led Miami Heat team.

Nonetheless, he has done plenty to solidify his career as a great basketballer.

He is a 15-time NBA All-Star, 1-time defensive player of the year, 9-time All-Defensive first team, and 3-time All-Defensive Second Team.

He would give trouble to a lot of active NBA players if he decided to come out of retirement.

But, overall, Kevin is one of the best retired NBA players

6. Dirk Nowitzki

Nowitzki is not only the best European player of all time but also one of the greatest power forwards of all time.

His signature one-legged shot created more than a revolution in the league.

In addition, his 7ft height paired with his offensive game makes him the perfect defender.

As a result, prime Nowitzki gave a tough battle to multiple stars in the league.

This also wrote the success story in the 2011 playoff, which the Mavericks won.

He doesn’t get enough credit for his impressive stretch in the successful playoff.

They not only beat Kobe’s Lakers but also went on to beat LeBron‘s Heat.

No one believed they would win as they were in the third seat in the West.

Also, the three-headed hydras in the form of Heat big 3 were waiting for them at the next conference.

However, they overcame all the odds and beat Miami, winning 4 out of 7 games.

But, of course, the credit should also go to his teammates Jason Kidd and many others.

Furthermore, even though he only won one ring, that ring certainly solidifies his career to be tagged along with some of the greatest in the business.

Besides that, he acts as a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks.

Similarly, he has a great bond with his fellow European player and an NBA rising star Luka Doncic.

5. Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson born on June 7, 1975, was one of the most polarizing players of the mid-90s.

He was a hooping and cross-over machine that led the league in scoring four times.

However, he was a bad defender with his height disadvantage, yet he led the league in steals.

All in all, AI was the whole package for an elite point guard.

Despite having all the skills, he never won an NBA championship.

His failure in capturing a ring is due to him not having another star-caliber player on his team.

Therefore, Iverson was hung on to do more offensive work himself.

At the same time, other teams had many star-caliber players playing together, for instance, Kobe and Shaq for the Lakers or Jordan and Pippen for the Bulls.

Hence, he single-handedly couldn’t keep up with these elite duos.

As a result, he finished his NBA career without winning a ring.

Nevertheless, he won the hearts of his fans with the crazy hands he possessed.

Many fans even called him the “point god” as his game was at the next level.

Likewise, he was a magnet and a fashion icon outside the basketball court.

He is the person who set many trends in the NBA, such as the headbands and wristbands for shooting.

4. Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan is a true Spurs legend who was with the team throughout all hardships and victories.

He helped create the Spurs dynasty in three different decades.

In the late 1990s, early 2000s, and mid-2010s, Duncan stuck around long enough to be claimed as the greatest power forwards.

His presence in the game always tipped the favors in his direction.

His long stretched arms could stop and score the ball at any given instance.

Further, his mid-range game was soo good that no one could stop it.

Tim’s go-to move was banging the ball off the glass to score.

He was so good at the go-to move that he rarely used to miss.

Similarly, being six foot eleven inches tall gave him all the advantages in scoring and stopping the ball.

As a result, he was an eight-time All-NBA Defensive First team and a seven-time All-NBA Defensive second team.

However, his body couldn’t keep up after playing 19 seasons with the Spurs.

Hence, he retired and came back as an assistant coach for the 2019-2020 season.

3. Shaquille O’Neal

Suppose you’ve seen Shaq play, then you know how dominating he can be down the post.

His size is enough to intermediate his opponents.

In addition to his size, his basketball skills make him one of the most unstoppable players in the league.

Only Yao Ming, the former Huston center, could have matched his size and strength.

But, except for Ming, no one could figure out a way to keep Shaq out of the paint.

Hence, his strength and size have been a success story for O’Neal.

He is a four-time NBA champion and a three-time finals MVP champion.

He was the running force of the early 2000s Los Angles Lakers squad.

With a young Kobe and an experience yet dominating Shaq, the Lakers three-peated.

Further, each of the times, Shaquille dominated the painting.

So even triple-teaming him during the match didn’t work.

He just overwhelmed every defender and found a way to score.

Likewise, in the defensive end getting around the huge body of Shaq was impossible for any player.

Even as a retired player, his size is bigger than most of the centers in the league today.

He says most of today’s centers are soft as they aren’t dominant.

2. Kobe Bryant

It’s sad to live in a world where the great Kobe Bryant doesn’t exist.

But unfortunately, the NBA will never be the same with the mama mentality.

However, his legacy is continued by numerous emerging basketball stars.

Some of them are Devin Booker, Jason Tatum, Kyrie Irving, and many more.

Besides that, retirement is a part of the game which every player has to face in their career.

When Kobe had to face retirement, the whole NBA was shell-shocked.

He was a five-time NBA champion and two-time finals MVP.

Overall, he was the second greatest shooting guard to play the game of basketball after Jordan.

His competitive spirit and incredible skills made him an instant fan favorite.

The entire league praised him for his work ethic.

Nevertheless, no matter how great a player’s mentality is, their body has a limit.

Further, Kobe dealing with multiple injuries knew his body had reached its limit.

Therefore, the 2015-16 season marked Kobe’s final basketball season.

However, he didn’t just retire without putting up a show for his fans.

Hence, he dropped a season-high 60 points against the Utah Jazz in the mamba’s season finale.

He then said his final words to the entire NBA family, “Mamba Out.”

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1. Michael Jordan

This goes without saying that Michael Jordan is one of the greatest basketball players.

But unfortunately, it has been over two decades since he retired.

However, his name frequently pops up in various conversations relating to basketball.

For starters, MJ three-peated the NBA championship twice.

Winning one championship in itself is a difficult task.

But, in addition to that, three peating twice take him to another level.

Not to mention, his 6 Finals MVPs show how much of a difference-maker he is.

However, no matter how good a player one is, one always has to retire.

Nonetheless, no one expected Jordan to retire so early.

His first retirement came in 1994 after some carjacker killed his father.

Michael’s father always dreamt of his son playing Major League Baseball.

Jordan resolved to follow his dream of playing baseball after his death to fulfill his ambition.

He began playing baseball for the Minor League Chicago White Sox.

However, the Bulls were unable to advance past the regular season in 1994–1945, ending the dream.

Additionally, he took his second retirement in 1999.

After that, MJ decided to rejoin the NBA as a Washington Wizards co-owner and head of basketball operations.

After declaring his return with his new team, he spent a year with the Wizards.

Jordan only played 60 games, though, as a result of injury.

He consequently decided to permanently quit.

But he will always be remembered as one of the best NBA players to have retired.