As basketball fans, watching our favorite players reach the end of their careers is always a tough pill to swallow. In a way, we look at these players like they are superheroes who never get old and never walk away from the game. The latest retirement frenzy was sparked by comments made by LeBron James after his Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. James told reporters that he “Had a lot to think about” when it comes to his future in the NBA. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that a source close to the situation cited the mental and physical grind of the playoffs as a big reason why James is speaking that way.
Fans immediately went into panic mode and started mulling what the league would look like without the man who has had it in a chokehold for the last 20 years. LeBron James isn’t the only player in the NBA who is reaching the end of his playing days, however. Carmelo Anthony recently hung up his shoes, as did Andre Iguodala and Udonis Haslem. There are numerous players who are coming to the end of their days as NBA players and looking to transition into life after the league. In just two years’ time, the landscape of the league could look completely different when some of our favorite players decide to walk away for good.
These are 10 NBA players who could be retired by 2025.
10. George Hill
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By no means is George Hill a superstar or star who will be honored with a farewell tour once his career is over, but he has been a staple of the last generation of basketball. Hill was the 26th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, where he would spend three seasons before being involved in one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. Hill was sent to Indiana in return for the draft rights to Kawhi Leonard, who ended up becoming a Spurs legend and Finals MVP.
For the next five seasons, Hill was a major player in the Pacers’ success, helping them reach back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014. Since leaving Indiana in 2016, Hill has been a veteran playmaker, shooter, and distributor for several NBA teams, including the Jazz, Kings, Cavaliers, Bucks, Thunder, and 76ers. In total, Hill has played for eight teams in 15 seasons and has averaged 10.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 3.1 APG on 45.7% shooting overall and 38.0% from three. Although the gap he leaves in the game will be small, for Pacers and Bucks fans, it may hit harder than anticipated.
9. Jeff Green
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In 2023, Jeff Green has a serious opportunity to capture his first NBA championship as a member of the Denver Nuggets. This may be the last hill for Green to climb before he decides to walk away from the game for good. Green was the fifth overall pick of the Boston Celtics back in 2007 and was immediately traded to the Seattle SuperSonics. Over the first four seasons of his career, Green averaged 13.9 PPG and 5.5 RPG for the Thunder and Celtics, which included several 15.0 PPG or better seasons. He would miss the entire 2012 season with a heart condition thought to perhaps be career-threatening.
Green returned in 2013 on a mission and was soon back to his 15.0 to 17.0 PPG self. Over the last eight seasons, Green has been a journeyman across the league playing for nine different teams, including the Denver Nuggets, where he has been since 2021-22. Green has been an effective role player wherever he has gone during that stretch as a defender and a knockdown shooter. If he captures an NBA championship in his 16th season in 2023, I expect Green to walk away from the game while at the top.
8. Rudy Gay
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How did we get to the point that we are talking about Rudy Gay retiring already? Back in 2006, the Houston Rockets took Rudy Gay with their eighth overall draft pick and promptly traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies. Gay would spend the next six and a half seasons with the team averaging 17.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG. As the decade transitioned, Gay would become one of the greatest small forwards in the 2010s, scoring the third-most points by a small forward from 2010 thru 2019.
Since leaving Memphis in 2012-13, Gay has been a part of three different teams, including the Raptors, Spurs, and Jazz. He spent four seasons with the Spurs and Kings and just finished his second season in Utah. With the Kings, Gay developed into a 20.0 PPG scorer who added over 5.5 RPG and 1.0 SPG on top of it. For his career, Gay has averaged 15.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.1 SPG while shooting 45.2% from the floor. It would be nice to see Gay have his opportunity at an NBA championship before he retires. Maybe one contender will give him the veteran’s minimum to make that opportunity possible.
7. Goran Dragic
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When Goran Dragic was selected in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft, nobody expected the native of Ljubljana, Slovenia to have a 15-year NBA career. Dragic was an under-the-radar player with a ton of talent, but many thought his s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 set would not translate to the NBA. They were wrong. For the first few seasons of his career with the Suns and Rockets, Dragic struggled to make a name for himself off the bench. It would be in his second stint with Phoenix that he would get everyone’s attention.
In 2013-14, Dragic averaged 20.3 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 1.4 SPG, with the Suns earning the only All-NBA Team selection of his career and the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. Dragic would then enjoy a successful seven-year stint in Miami that saw him return as a 20.0 PPG scorer, earning an All-Star selection in 2017-18 and helping them advance to the NBA Finals in 2020. Over the last several seasons, we have seen a drastic decline in production from Dragic, which leads us to believe the end is near for one of the greatest basketball players in Slovenian history.
6. PJ Tucker
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To the casual fan, PJ Tucker is nothing more than a guy who can eat up minutes and get a bunch of cardio in during an NBA game. To those of us who have thoroughly watched him or the teammates that have played with him, he is a priceless piece to success. Over the course of his career, Tucker’s offensive numbers have never been anything to lose your mind over. After 17 games in his rookie season in 2006-07, Tucker went on to play five years overseas at various spots in Europe. When he returned, he returned with a different mentality which has allowed him to remain a coveted asset for the last 11 seasons.
Tucker has never averaged 10.0 PPG in a season in any of his six stops with the Suns, Rockets, Sixers, Bucks, Raptors, and Heat. Tucker is often looked to go out on the court and take on some of the toughest defensive assignments that the NBA has to offer, such as Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo at times. Tucker has met these challenges with grace and honor and takes pride in being a defensive asset for his squad. His rebounding has also been an asset, as has his ability to space the floor and knock down open shots. As his abilities decline, he will be missed by those of us who enjoyed watching him bring the old-school NBA mentality to the modern NBA.
5. Brook Lopez
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It may be difficult to believe that Brook Lopez is heading toward the end of his career, considering the 2022-23 season he just had. Lopex was among the league leaders in blocks and a finalist for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award, which helped the Bucks obtain the best record in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. The truth is, Lopez, has already revamped his entire game after spending most of his early career as a post-dominant player and the leading scorer in Brooklyn Nets history.
Lopez is not only a defensively sound interior player but has also added the three-point shot to his arsenal, knocking down 37.4% of his 4.7 three-point attempts in 2022-23 with Milwaukee. His 15.9 PPG was the most since leaving Brooklyn in 2017 as well. Despite these promising trends, Lopez will be 35 years old next year and in his 16th NBA season overall. For any 7-footer, that is a lot of miles and wear and tear on his body. As great as he was in 2022-23, I do not expect him to be able to continue that trend into his late 30s.
4. Al Horford
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If it seems like Al Horford has been around forever, that’s because he has. The 2022-23 season was Horford’s 16th in the NBA, as we are just a week shy of his 37th 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day. Horford got his start back in 2007 when he was the third overall pick of the Atlanta Hawks. Over the next nine seasons, Horford would become a four-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA Team selection with Atlanta and one of the more respected players in franchise history.
Since that time, Horford has spent all but two seasons with the Boston Celtics and earned one more All-Star selection as well as an All-Defensive Team selection. He has also helped the Celtics to multiple appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals, including in 2023, and an appearance in the NBA Finals in 2022. Now, Horford has nothing left to prove. His college accolades and NBA accolades have him a borderline Hall of Famer. It is unknown whether Horford will see things through in Boston or take one last attempt at chasing that elusive NBA championship. Regardless, it has been an honor to have him be such a part of my NBA journey as a fan.
3. Kyle Lowry
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Kyle Lowry’s NBA journey has been nothing short of inspiring and amazing. After being selected late in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft, Lowry found it difficult to adjust to the NBA and crack the starting lineup for the Memphis Grizzlies. The same could be said for his time with the Houston Rockets from 2009 thru 2012, where it took a few seasons for him to claim the starting point guard job.
Things began to change for Lowry when he was acquired by the Toronto Raptors for the start of the 2012-13 season. Over the next nine years, Lowry became one of the best players in Raptors’ history as well as a six-time All-Star and an All-NBA Team selection. In 2019, it all came full circle as his leadership on and off the court led to the first NBA title in Raptors history, cementing his place among the franchise’s all-time greats. In 2021-22, Lowry spent his first season away from Toronto in nearly a decade, which signaled the beginning of the end perhaps for his basketball career. Over the last two seasons, he has played less than 65 games each year as he slowly but surely approaches the age of 37. Could 2022-23 be the final season we see Kyle Lowry don an NBA uniform, or would an NBA title with Miami bring him back for one more season?
2. Chris Paul
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I would be blind and ignorant to not recognize the fact that there are plenty of people in the NBA community who cannot wait for the day that Chris Paul retires. For now, let’s call those people what they are, haters. Paul has done a tremendous job for the NBA both on and off the court since being selected fourth overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Hornets. Even without an NBA championship, Paul has been one of the best point guards to ever lace them up on both sides of the court and exactly what every team looks for in a leader.
When we look back on Chris Paul’s career, the first thing everyone will say is that he ended his career without an NBA championship. What they won’t talk about is that, even at 37, Paul is still one of the best two-way players in the game. They won’t talk about over 11,000 assists and 2,500 steals. They won’t talk about the near-MVP seasons or five assists titles and six steals titles. They won’t talk about his impact as the President of the NBA Player’s Association. They won’t mention any of it because the truth scares them to admit it. The truth is that Chris Paul is one of the greatest point guards to ever live, and the game will not be the same when he inevitably hangs up his shoes by 2025.
1. LeBron James
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Once again, we wouldn’t even think of including LeBron James on this list if he hadn’t already alluded to retirement after being eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals just a few days ago. This would truly signify the end of an era within the NBA as the last remaining player from the 2003 NBA Draft and one of the greatest players ever decided to hang them up. Whether that is this summer, as he cryptically stated in his exit press conference, or by the 2024 Olympics, which he stated may be a possibility for his teammate Anthony Davis, it will be a day no NBA fan will ever forget.
What has James done to earn such a response to a possible retirement? He came into the NBA at 18 years old with the weight of the world and its expectations on his shoulders. He smashed expectations by becoming a four-time MVP, NBA champion, and Finals MVP. He became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a record that many thought would stand forever. He broke almost every record for major stat categories in the NBA playoffs. He has also dealt with the most ridiculous standards and hate than any player has over the last 30 years. Love him or hate him, LeBron James has been a big part of our lives for over two decades in the NBA now. Whether you care to admit it or not, you will miss him, as will I, when he decides it is time to move on.
