As NBA fans, we would love to see our favorite NBA players play forever. Unfortunately, that is never the case due to injuries, age, and other factors. There is an especially empty feeling when we see talented stars forced to retire early for the same reasons. The following players were forced to end their basketball careers at the age of 32 years or younger, far before they should have ever been hanging up their shoes for good.
- 1. Jay Williams – 22 Years Old
- T2. Andrew Bynum – 27 Years Old
- T2. Brandon Roy – 27 Years Old
- T4. Greg Oden – 28 Years Old
- T4. Brad Daugherty – 28 Years Old
- T4. Larry Sanders – 28 Years Old
- T7. Yao Ming – 30 Years Old
- T7. Gilbert Arenas – 30 Years Old
- 9. Darren Collison – 31 Years Old
- 10. Chris Bosh – 32 Years Old
1. Jay Williams – 22 Years Old
Point guard Jay Williams was a top overall prospect when entering the NBA Draft in 2002 out of Duke University. Williams would be drafted second overall to the Chicago Bulls, tasked with helping usher in a new era of Chicago basketball in the early 2000s. As a rookie with the Bulls, Williams played 75 games and had 54 starts, averaging 9.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 39.9% shooting from the field.
Then, disaster struck. During the offseason, Williams would suffer career-ending injuries in a motorcycle accident. His list of ailments included a fractured pelvis and three torn ligaments in his knee, including the ACL. No injury was more detrimental to his playing career than the severed nerve he also sustained during the crash. It took Williams months to regain the use of his leg as his career on the court was effectively over.
The Bulls acted quickly in finding a replacement for Williams. One week after the horrific crash, they drafted Kirk Hinrich with the seventh overall pick in the 2003 draft.
T2. Andrew Bynum – 27 Years Old
When the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Andrew Bynum 10th overall in 2005, they had high hopes for the 7-footer out of high school in New Jersey. Bynum was slowly integrated into the Lakers’ system, appearing in 46 games off the bench as a rookie and 29 games off the bench the following season with 53 starts, averaging just 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game during that time.
Over the next few seasons as a starter, Bynum was fantastic when he made it to the court. From 2008 through 2012, Bynum did not appear in more than 65 games in any season for the Lakers due to lingering foot and knee issues that would ultimately be his demise. In those seasons, he averaged 14.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game on 57.2% shooting. In 2009 and 2010, Bynum helped the Lakers win back-to-back NBA championships, starting every game for their 2010 run.
In 2012, Bynum would have his only All-Star season, averaging 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. That summer, Bynum would be dealt to the 76ers as a part of the deal that returned Dwight Howard to L.A. Bynum would miss the entire 2012-13 season due to a knee injury and play just 26 games in 2013-14 before ultimately retiring at its end.
T2. Brandon Roy – 27 Years Old
NBA players, fans, and media members alike still talk about the talent and elite skill that Brandon Roy displayed during his short career. Roy was the Minnesota Timberwolves’ sixth overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft but was immediately dealt to Portland for Randy Foye. Roy would blossom in Portland which included a Rookie of the Year campaign that only saw him play in 57 games.
Roy would be an All-Star for the following three seasons in a row, averaging 21.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He helped Portland reach the playoffs three times and earned two All-NBA Team selections as well. After his ascent to All-Star status, Roy was diagnosed with a degenerative knee disease that left him with no cartilage to speak of.
He would play just 47 games in 2010-11 before retiring for the 2011-12 season. Roy did attempt a comeback in 2012-13 with the Timberwolves but it lasted just five games with Roy averaging 5.8 points per game in 24.4 minutes of action.
T4. Greg Oden – 28 Years Old
Whenever the names of the NBA’s biggest busts are brought up over the years, Greg Oden‘s name is always among the first brought up. Oden was more than just a promising college prospect when the Trail Blazers drafted him first overall in 2007. He was supposed to be the Trail Blazers’ saving grace along with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Things did not end up working out as knee and foot injuries lingered from college, leaving him unable to play his entire rookie season. Over the following two seasons, Oden would play just 82 games, averaging 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. After the 2009-10 season, Oden would never play another game for Portland in his career.
Oden missed the next three seasons due to the same knee injury that caused him to miss his rookie year. In 2013-14, Oden attempted a comeback with the Miami Heat. He played 23 games and averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in just 9.2 minutes of action before retiring for good following the season.
T4. Brad Daugherty – 28 Years Old
When he was selected with the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1986, he was tasked with helping to turn around an irrelevant NBA franchise at that point. Daugherty would do just that over the next eight seasons, averaging 19.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game on 53.2% shooting.
Daugherty was much more than the numbers he put up, however. He was also the backbone of their defensive efforts on the interior, a five-time NBA All-Star, and a one-time All-NBA Team selection in 1992. His presence on the early 90s Cavaliers led to some great playoff series between them and the Chicago Bulls that featured Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Unfortunately for Daugherty, his NBA career would be short-lived thanks to a back injury he suffered in 1993-94.
Daugherty would be unable to play for the next two seasons, ultimately retiring for good, leaving behind one of the biggest ”what-ifs” in both Cleveland and NBA history.
T4. Larry Sanders – 28 Years Old
In the case of Larry Sanders, it is a set of unfortunate circumstances and misunderstandings that led to his early retirement at 28 years old in 2017. Sanders was the 15h overall pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2010. He came off the bench for them in his first two seasons and was applauded for his defensive play and effort. His third season in 2012-13 would be his best in the NBA, averaging 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. He finished top 10 in both Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player voting.
Unfortunately, despite everything seeming fine on the outside, Sanders was struggling on the inside, battling mental health issues that were far more serious than anyone could imagine. Sanders had violated the NBA’s drug policy a few times beforehand for marijuana but in 2015-16, he decided to take an entire year away from the game to focus on his mental health.
In 2016-17, he attempted a comeback with the Cleveland Cavaliers but it lasted just five games before he called it quits for good.
T7. Yao Ming – 30 Years Old
By the time Yao Ming arrived as the first overall pick by the Houston Rockets in 2002, he was already an international basketball superstar. Yao stood a monstrous 7’6’’ and weighed 310 lbs., making him one of the most physically imposing players in the game immediately upon his arrival.
His play matched expectations as he went on to become an All-Star all eight seasons of his career while also earning five All-NBA Team selections, averaging 19.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. His toe-to-toe battles with Shaquille O’Neal were legendary during the 2000s as well. Unfortunately, Yao’s size would catch up to him in the form of various foot injuries over the years that eventually cost him the entire 2009-10 season.
Yao would return for five games in 2010-11 before deciding that his body could not keep up with the rigorous demands of an NBA schedule and he retired at the age of 30 years old.
T7. Gilbert Arenas – 30 Years Old
Before he was the boisterous personality that we see today on YouTube and social media, Gilbert Arenas was one of the premier point guards in the NBA during the 2000s. After two seasons with the Warriors that saw him win the 2003 Most Improved Player award, Arenas was traded to the Washington Wizards. From 2005 through 2007, there were few guards in the NBA on his level with three All-Star and three All-NBA Team selections in a row.
After injuries limited him to just 15 games in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Arenas returned to the court with high hopes in 2009-10. After just 32 games, an argument between him and teammate Javaris Crittenton came to an explosive head when each player drew loaded weapons on each other inside the Wizards practice facility. The result was a suspension for Arenas for the remainder of the season and a huge dent to his reputation.
Arenas would play a total of 87 more games in the next two seasons before retiring and attempting to play in China in 2012-13.
9. Darren Collison – 31 Years Old
Darren Collison was an 11-year NBA veteran who played for six different teams during his NBA career. Collison began as the 21st overall pick to the New Orleans Hornets in 2009, where he would spend his rookie season before being dealt to the Indiana Pacers. Over the next nine seasons, Collison played for the Mavericks, Clippers, Kings, and Pacers again before retiring in 2018-19.
Collison averaged 12.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in his NBA career. In 2019, Collison cited his religion as a Jehovah’s Witness as a reason for calling it quits at such a young age. In 2021-22, he would attempt to come back with the Lakers but that only lasted three games.
10. Chris Bosh – 32 Years Old
Chris Bosh is one of the very best power forwards to ever play the game. During the 2000s and 2010s, Bosh helped usher in the era of the stretch forward which has grown to exponential heights since his days in the NBA. Bosh began his career with the Raptors after they drafted him fourth overall in 2003. Over the next seven seasons, Bosh would average 20.2 points and 9.4 rebounds a game for Toronto with four All-Star selections and one All-NBA Team selection.
In 2010, Bosh would decide to join both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami where he would remain for the rest of his career. Bosh would become a six-time All-Star in Miami, winning two NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 while appearing in four total. In 2015-16, the first signs of Bosh’s health declining began to arise with an irregular heartbeat. Later that season, it was determined that Bosh had a blood clot disorder that would force him to retire at just 32 years old.
Bosh had plenty of life left in his NBA career but was cut down due to circumstances beyond his control. He was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2021 for his illustrious career.
