The Last Games Of 25 NBA Legends

• David Robinson and Bill Russell are the only two players on this list to end their careers after winning NBA championships

• Between 1973 and 1974, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, and Wilt Chamberlain would all play their last game in the NBA

• Kobe Bryant scored the most points in his final game with 60 against the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016

As NBA fans, one of the most difficult things to endure is watching our favorite players step off the basketball court one final time. After years and years of following their every move and cheering them on at every turn, their careers are over in what seems like an instant leaving us flooded with every emotion that one can feel over the course of an evening. 

Luckily for us, there have been countless NBA legends who left one final impression before their time in the NBA was over. Farewell games are never easy for NBA legends, but when they leave us with a performance reminiscent of their peak abilities, it eases the transition to basketball without them around any longer. Some of these final game performances left us speechless and wondering why the player we were watching was giving it all up. Then, we remember that players are pushing an age that nobody remains successful at the NBA level, and the only thing left to do is walk away before hurting their legacy.

Below, we will go over some of the last performances of 25 NBA legends in their final games in the NBA. Not all final games are created equal, however. Some NBA legends did not have the send-off they hoped for in their final games. Did your favorite player have a memorable final game, or did he have a performance most would like to forget?

These are the last games of 25 NBA Legends.

Scottie Pippen

Stats Of His Last Game: 2 Points, 1 Rebound, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: February 2, 2004

Scottie Pippen is easily the greatest second option in the history of the NBA. Alongside Michael Jordan in the 1990s, Pippen helped the Chicago Bulls capture six NBA championships from 1991 through 1998. Pippen was an elite defensive forward with superior playmaking ability to his counterparts during the height of the Bulls’ run. 

After their sixth NBA championship in 1998, Pippen left the Bulls for the Houston Rockets, where he played for one season, and the Portland Trail Blazers, where he played for four seasons. In 2002, Pippen returned to Chicago for one final run on the city that meant so much to his career. Battling injuries and age, Pippen would play just 23 games that season, averaging 5.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.2 APG. In his final game for the Chicago Bulls, Pippen would see just eight minutes of action in a blowout loss to the Seattle SuperSonics.

Pippen’s uneventful final game is not how he is remembered over two decades later and had no effect on his legacy in a Chicago uniform. He is still revered and beloved by Bulls fans everywhere as one of the greatest players in team history and in NBA history.

Isiah Thomas

Stats In His Last Game: 12 Points, 5 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: April 19, 1994

Isiah Thomas is a Detroit Pistons legend who spent his entire 13-year career with the franchise. Thomas became the face of the Bad Boys era while helping the Pistons win back-to-back NBA championships in both 1989 and 1990. By the early 90s, Thomas began to struggle with injuries and was not the same player at all.

By the 1993-94 season, it was all but over for Thomas. In his final season with the Pistons, Thomas suffered a hyperextended knee, a broken rib, a strained calf, and a lacerated left hand. In his final game against the Orlando Magic, Thomas took the court for 26 minutes and scored 12 points on just 4-18 shooting from the field while adding 5 rebounds and 6 assists. After 26 minutes on the court, Thomas would tear his Achilles tendon, effectively ending his career at just 32 years old.

John Havlicek

Stats In His Last Game: 29 Points, 5 Rebounds, 9 Assists

Date: April 9, 1978

John “Hondo” Havlicek is one of the winningest players in NBA history. With eight NBA championships to his name, Havlicek ranks behind only Bill Russell and Sam Jones for the most championships in NBA history. Havlicek is another NBA legend who played their entire career with one franchise, playing 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics from 1963 through 1978. Along with his eight NBA titles, Havlicek was a one-time Finals MVP, 13-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA Team selection, and an eight-time All-Defensive Team selection.

After 16 seasons in the NBA, Havlicek decided that the 1977-78 season would be his last. In the final season of his career, he would be an All-Star and averaged 16.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 4.0 APG. On April 9, 1978, Havlicek went into his final game against the Buffalo Braves. He decided to leave the Boston fans with a night they would never forget as he went for 29 points on 11-33 from the field in 41 minutes of action. He also went 7-8 from the foul line and added nine assists as the Celtics won by 17. The team would fail to make the playoffs but was able to send Havlicek off in style with a win, something John Havlicek did a lot of in a Celtics uniform.

Allen Iverson

Stats In His Last Game: 13 Points, 1 Rebound, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: February 20, 2010

As far as legacy is concerned, Allen Iverson is still one of the most beloved figures in NBA history. His cultural influence on the game is still revered over 20 years later, as is the way he fought against the odds and had one of the most amazing careers for a shooting guard ever. Iverson never managed to win an NBA title, but he was one of the more lethal offensive weapons in the NBA during the 2000s. With some of the most elite ball-handling skills we had ever seen, Iverson became an MVP, four-time scoring champion, 11-time All-Star, three-time steals champion, and a seven-time All-NBA Team selection.

Iverson began his final season in 2009-10 with the Memphis Grizzlies after stints with the Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons and 10 previous seasons with the 76ers. After just three games, Iverson would return to Philadelphia via trade for the final stretch of his career. He appeared in just 25 games for the Sixers that season averaging 13.9 PPG and 4.1 APG. His final game would come in February 2010 on the road against the Chicago Bulls. In that game, Iverson would play just over 29 minutes and record 13 points on just 5-13 shooting from the field. The 76ers would lose by an astonishing 32 points to Derrick Rose and company, and Iverson would not return to the Sixers or any NBA team afterward.

Charles Barkley

Stats In His Last Game: 2 Points, 1 Rebound, 1 Assist, 0 Steals, 1 Block

Date: April 19, 2000

Charles Barkley is a living NBA legend and one of the greatest power forwards to ever step foot on the court. Over the course of his career with the 76ers, Suns, and Rockets, Barkley was a ferocious scorer, rebounder, playmaker, and defender with an animated personality that resonated with some fans and drew ire from others. Barkley would win a 1993 MVP award as well as 11 All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, and the 1991 All-Star Game MVP award in his 16-year career in the NBA.

Barkley’s final season would come in 1999-00, his fourth with the Houston Rockets as they failed to cash in on a championship in the previous three. By this time, Barkley was a shell of himself and would only play 20 games in the entire season at 36 years old. In the final game of his career, Houston let him take the court for six minutes after not playing in a single game for the previous four months. In those six minutes, Barkley made one of three shot attempts and recorded a block as the Rockets fell to the Vancouver Grizzlies at home.

David Robinson

Stats Of His Last Game: 13 Points, 17 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 0 Steals, 2 Blocks

Date: June 15, 2003

Of all the players on our list so far, David Robinson is the first to play his final NBA game in the NBA playoffs. Not only was it the NBA playoffs, but it was the clinching Game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals, meaning Robinson would go out in the greatest way possible for any NBA legend. Previously, Robinson had been an MVP, scoring champion, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and NBA champion during his 14-year career with the San Antonio Spurs.

After 13 years of service to the NBA and a few to his country in the United States Navy, Robinson decided that one last championship run in 2003 was the only way for him to say goodbye to the sport of basketball. Although he was no longer the star or the powerhouse he once was, Robinson was still able to make a significant impact on victory in Game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals. He helped the Spurs capture their second NBA title by recording 13 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in 31 minutes of action on 6-8 shooting. For the second time in his career, Robinson was an NBA champion as he decided to ride off into the sunset after 14 amazing seasons.

Elgin Baylor

Stats Of His Last Game: 8 Points, 6 Rebounds, 1 Assist

Date: October 31, 1971

Elgin Baylor is often placed in the conversation of the greatest players to never win an NBA championship. The Los Angeles Lakers legend was 0-7 in his attempts during the NBA Finals despite repeated legendary performances when the games mattered most. Baylor is one of the greatest small forwards that ever lived who played his entire career for the Lakers from 1959 through 1971-72. Baylor was an 11-time All-Star who averaged 27.4 PPG for his career in the regular season and 27.0 PPG for his career in the NBA playoffs.

In 1970-71, Baylor went down with a knee injury that would cost him the entire season and all but nine games of the 1971-72 season. On Halloween of 1971, it became clear that Baylor could no longer play at a high level, and he was ready to walk away from the game. In a four-point loss to the Warriors, Baylor would play 23 minutes and shoot 3-8 from the field for 8 points while grabbing 6 rebounds. At the age of 37, he was done with the game of basketball. Ironically, later that season, the Lakers would go on to win the NBA championship behind the trio of Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, and Gail Goodrich. Talk about bad luck.

Dirk Nowitzki

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NjFmzg0-ew

Stats In His Last Game: 20 Points, 10 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 0 Blocks

Date: April 10, 2019

As a Dallas Mavericks fan who fell in love with the team thanks to a young Dirk Nowitzki, this one hit hard. For 21 seasons, Dirk Nowitzki called Dallas home and went on to become the greatest player in the history of the Mavericks franchise. The 7-footer from Germany was the first real successful stretch power forward, able to step out to the three-point line and knock down long shots or debilitate defenders in the post with his patented one-legged fadeaway. Over the course of 21 seasons, Nowitzki would win one MVP award in 2007 as well as an NBA championship and Finals MVP in 2011.

Just one day after dropping 30 points in his final home game in a win over the Suns, Nowitzki took the floor in San Antonio in what would be his last NBA game ever. The Mavericks were already out of playoff contention, but this night belonged to Dirk and a celebration of his career. He would play just over 31 minutes and record one-final double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 8-21 shooting from the floor. The Mavericks would fall to the Spurs by 11, but Nowitzki gave us all one final performance to remember.

Julius Erving

Stats In His Last Game: 24 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 3 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: May 3, 1987

For the second time on our list, we get to a player whose final game came in the NBA playoffs. Unfortunately for Julius Erving, his career would not end as triumphantly as David Robinson’s.

Julius Erving is one of the most influential players in basketball history, inspiring the likes of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, and more during his days in the ABA and NBA. Erving is a multiple-time ABA MVP and champion, as well as an MVP and champion in the NBA with the 76ers over the total of 16 years between the two associations.

In his final season in 1986-87, Erving would turn 37 at its midway point yet still started 60 games and averaged over 16.5 PPG. The Sixers managed to get to the NBA playoffs, where they met the Milwaukee Bucks in a back-and-forth first-round series. In the decisive Game 5, Erving would take the court for the final time thanks to a 13-point win by Milwaukee, eliminating the Sixers from the playoffs. Erving would go out on a high note individually with 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals to lead his team.

Kevin Garnett

Stats In His Last Game: 2 Points, 0 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: January 23, 2016

As one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, Kevin Garnett patrolled the court for 21 years with the Timberwolves, Celtics, and Nets. With the Timberwolves early in his career, Garnett was an MVP and All-Defensive player who was as versatile as it gets from the power forward spot. In his time with the Celtics, he became an NBA champion and Defensive Player of the Year with more intensity and heart on display than any other player at the time. He was truly one of a kind in the way he approached the game, which is why it is unfortunate that he didn’t have a better goodbye.

After being traded back to the Timberwolves in 2014-15, he decided that the 2015-16 season would be his last. Just 38 games into the season, Garnett would play his final game with the team in a win over the Grizzlies. Garnett would play just nine minutes on the night while going 1-2 from the field before being declared inactive for the team’s last 36 games. It was only right that Garnett left the game in the place he started, walking off the Timberwolves’ home floor.

Dwyane Wade

Stats In His Last Game: 25 Points, 11 Rebounds, 10 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block

Date: April 10, 2019

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade. It is hard to think of any players who meant more to one franchise than these players did to the Bulls, Lakers, Cavaliers, and Heat. Dwyane Wade was responsible for or a member of every championship team in franchise history, including the Finals MVP of their first win in 2006. He leads the Heat all-time in almost every major stat category and is undoubtedly their franchise’s GOAT.

That is why it was so fitting that in his final home game with the Heat in 2019, which happened to be the same day Dirk Nowitzki said goodbye to the Mavericks, Wade walked off Miami’s home floor for the final time with a 30-point performance in a win. Much like Nowitzki, Wade’s real final game would come the next day on the road against the Brooklyn Nets. In his final NBA game ever, Wade put on a show in Brooklyn with 25 points on 10-28 shooting and added 11 rebounds as well as 10 assists for a career-ending triple-double. It was the perfect way for one of the game’s greatest shooting guards to go out, although Miami would lose by 19.

Moses Malone

Stats In His Last Game: 6 Points, 1 Rebound, 1 Assist, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: December 27, 1994

Moses Malone is one of the most underrated yet greatest centers in NBA history. Malone was a three-time league MVP during his career with the Clippers, Rockets, Sixers, Bullets, Hawks, Bucks, and Spurs. Malone was also an NBA champion in 1983, a run that he capped off with a sweep of the Showtime Lakers in the NBA Finals and a Finals MVP award for the only time in his career. As the NBA’s all-time leader in offensive rebounds, there are few who can be considered better on the glass than Moses Malone, and there are few who played the game as he did during the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

At 39 years old in 1993-94, Moses Malone was a member of the San Antonio Spurs for all of 17 games. By this time, Malone’s knees could hardly allow him to make it up and down the court, but he was still out there trying to give it his all. However, two days after Christmas in 1994, Malone’s final performance would be the one that finally made him have enough. In seven minutes off the bench against the Charlotte Hornets, Malone would make both shots he took from the field as the Spurs went on to win by 11. Malone would be shut down for the season following the game and retire that off-season after 21 years in the ABA and NBA.

Karl Malone

Stats In His Last Game: 2 Points, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: June 13, 2004

During the first 18 seasons of his career, Karl Malone was one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history with the Utah Jazz. He had accumulated the second-most total points in NBA history by the time of his retirement in 2004, along with two MVP awards, three Finals appearances, 14 All-Star selections, 14 All-NBA Team selections, and 4 All-Defensive Team selections. Unfortunately for Malone, he was never able to capture that elusive NBA championship, not even when he joined a superteam in 2003-04.

In the 2003-04 season, Karl Malone decided to leave Utah and join the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Gary Payton. The team would make it all the way to the NBA Finals, where they met the buzzsaw known as the Detroit Pistons defense, who would upset them in five games. In Game 5, Malone would play just under 22 minutes before suffering a knee injury that had lingered all season. He finished with two points on 1-2 shooting as the Lakers fell to a 3-1 deficit in the series. Malone would not dress for Game 5, and the Lakers would lose the Finals that same night.

For the third time in his career, Malone had fallen short in the NBA Finals, and he had had enough. Malone would retire after the Finals as one of the greatest NBA players to never win an NBA championship.

Jerry West

Stats In His Last Game: 4 Points, 2 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: April 2, 1974

When the logo Jerry West decided to walk away from the game of basketball following the 1974 season, we were left to say goodbye to one of the game’s greatest performers. Although his exit from the league was quite forgettable, the memories he provided over the other 13 years of his career could never be forgotten and need to be told in order to recite the history of the NBA. West led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals in his career, winning an NBA championship in 1972 and a Finals MVP award in 1969.

Following a loss in the NBA Finals in 1973 to the New York Knicks, Jerry West set out on the final voyage of his NBA career. West would play just 31 games during the 1973-74 season, averaging over 20.0 PPG in that limited action. The team would lose in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks, with West playing just 14 minutes in Game 3 of the series due to groin issues that plagued him all season.

Following the season, Jerry West and the Lakers got involved in highly heated contract disputes that ultimately led to West retiring. West felt slighted by the Lakers front office, and once he felt slighted said, “I couldn’t play for the Lakers anymore, but I also wasn’t going to play for anyone else”. Thus ended one of the greatest careers in NBA history.

Oscar Robertson

Stats In His Last Game: 6 Points, 3 Rebounds, 11 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: May 12, 1974

Jerry West was not the only legendary point guard to step away from the game at the conclusion of the 1973-74 season. Oscar Robertson, arguably a top-three point guard in NBA history, would also call it quits after a heartbreaking loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Robertson launched himself to legendary status early in his career in the 1960s, becoming an all-around offensive weapon who became the first player to average a triple-double for an entire season. Robertson would go on to win the 1961 Rookie of the Year award, 1964 MVP, 1971 NBA championships, six assists titles, and three All-Star MVP awards in his career with the Royals and Bucks.

In 1973-74, Robertson would turn 36 years old in his 14th season of NBA service. Alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robertson gave Milwaukee one more chance at a second NBA championship before he retired. In the Finals against the Celtics, the series would go to seven games. In Game 7, Robertson would completely melt down, going 2-13 from the floor for 6 points while adding 11 assists. The Celtics would win the game by 15 points and claim the NBA championship, while Robertson would call it a career falling just short of his second NBA title.

Hakeem Olajuwon

Stats In His Last Game: 8 Points, 4 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: May 2, 2002

Even after two decades after his final game in the NBA, Hakeem Olajuwon is regarded as one of the best players in NBA history. Olajuwon is arguably the greatest defensive player in the history of the game, holding the all-time lead in blocks as well as being a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Olajuwon is also a former MVP, two-time NBA champion, and two-time Finals MVP with the Houston Rockets during the 1990s.

Olajuwon’s final season didn’t get the storybook ending we were hoping for though. In 2001-02, Olajuwon was traded by the Rockets to the Toronto Raptors for one final season in the NBA. Olajuwon would play 61 games in total that season, averaging 7.1 PPG and 6.0 RPG. The Raptors would qualify for the NBA playoffs and a first-round matchup with the Pistons. Olajuwon would come off the bench in the series that went the entire five games. In Game 5, Olajuwon would score 8 points and grab 4 rebounds, but Detroit would win by 3, bringing Hakeem’s illustrious career to an end.

Wilt Chamberlain

Stats In His Last Game: 23 Points, 21 Rebounds, 3 Assists

Date: May 10, 1973

Wilt Chamberlain is yet another player on this list who would play his final game in the NBA Finals. Chamberlain was as statistically dominant as any player ever has been during his 13-year career with the Warriors, Sixers, and Lakers. Chamberlain would win seven scoring titles, two NBA titles, a Finals MVP, and four MVP awards in his career as well and is remembered as one of the greatest players in NBA history even 50 years after his last game.

Chamberlain was in the fifth season of his career with the Lakers in 1972-73, coming off his second NBA championship and first Finals MVP award in 1972. Wilt and the Lakers would win 60 games this season and cruise toward the NBA playoffs behind 14.8 PPG and 19.2 RPG from Chamberlain. In the NBA Finals, the Lakers met the Knicks for the third time since 1970 in the series, with this one being the rubber match of the three.

The Knicks would dominate the Lakers in five games to win the championship. In Game 5, Wilt left it all out on the floor with 23 points and 21 rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome the onslaught of New York. Chamberlain would opt to sit out the entire 1973-74 season in an option year and would never play another game in the NBA.

Bill Russell

Stats In His Last Game: 6 Points, 21 Rebounds, 6 Assists

Date: May 5, 1969

As we navigate our list of NBA legends and their last games played in the league, we arrive at another player who went out on top as an NBA champion. Winning championships was a normal occurrence for Bill Russell, who won 11 championships in 13 seasons as a member of the Boston Celtics during the 1950s and 1960s. Russell became arguably the greatest defender and rebounder in NBA history during this time as well, averaging 22.5 RPG for his career.

Russell’s final game would come in a series he spent most of his NBA career in, the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the 1969 Finals that would go seven games as Boston and Los Angeles refused to give up without a fight. Russell would play all 48 minutes of the historically intense game that eventually went to the Celtics despite 42 points from Jerry West.

Russell helped clinch his 11th championship with 6 points on 2-7 shooting while grabbing 21 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists. Russell would not receive inaugural Finals MVP honors despite the win but ultimately walked away from the game as a player with the Larry O’Brien Trophy in tow.

Larry Bird

Stats In His Last Game: 12 Points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: May 17, 1992

It is no secret that by the end of his career, Larry Bird’s body had betrayed him into early retirement. He was dealing with nagging and chronic back issues that made it difficult to watch the once-dominant Bird struggle to make it up and down the court. In his prime, Bird was a three-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, and three-time MVP with the Boston Celtics, dishing out trash talk and game-altering performances on the regular while going down as one of the greatest players ever.

By the time the 1991-92 season hit though, Bird’s prime was over and his physical health had begun to rapidly decline. He would fight through the pain for 45 games that season and averaged 20.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 6.8 APG. In their first-round matchups against the Cavaliers, though, Bird could barely stay on the court for 20 minutes in the first two games, both losses by the Celtics. After a decent Game 3, Bird gave it one more go in Game 4. He played 33 minutes with 12 points on 6-9 shooting from the field, but Cleveland would run away with an 18-point win.

Bird would play some more organized basketball that summer for Team USA and the Dream Team, winning an Olympic gold medal in Barcelona. Following the victory, Bird announced his retirement from the NBA, no longer to give the amount that he expected of himself on the court.

Tim Duncan

Stats In His Last Game: 19 Points, 5 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block

Date: May 12, 2016

Tim Duncan is a top-five big man in the history of the NBA and the only player to be a member of all five NBA championships won by the San Antonio Spurs between 1999 and 2014. Duncan’s two-way playstyle wasn’t flashy or going to put butts in the seats, but it did win basketball games, and more importantly, it won championships. When Duncan retired in 2016, he had won five NBA titles, three Finals MVP awards, and two MVP awards, along with 15 All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive team selections.

Duncan’s final contest would come in a rare playoff loss by the Big Fundamental, something that we hadn’t come to expect from a player with one of the highest win percentages in NBA history. Duncan and the Spurs had advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In Game 6, Duncan would record 19 points on 7-14 shooting from the field to try and keep their season alive. Unfortunately, it would be the Thunder with a 14-point win and advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

Duncan would ride off into the sunset as one of the most accomplished players to ever play in the NBA and the greatest power forward in NBA history.

Shaquille O’Neal

Stats In His Last Game: 0 Points, 0 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block

Date: May 9, 2011

It doesn’t get much more odd than having to discuss an all-time great Lakers legend playing the final game of his career as a member of the Boston Celtics. During his peak in the late 90s and early 2000s, Shaq was the most dominant player we have ever seen on a basketball court. He led the Lakers to three straight NBA championships from 2000 through 2002 while winning all three MVP awards and an MVP award in 2000.

After adding a fourth NBA championship in 2006 with the Heat, Shaq spent his twilight years chasing championships in places like Phoenix and Cleveland. The final stop on his championship-chasing tour would be the Celtics for the 2010-11 season. O’Neal would be inactive for all but 37 games during the season. His final game came on May 9 of that season against the Miami Heat. O’Neal would play just over three minutes on the night with zero points in an eight-point loss. Kind of an uneventful ending to such a large and loud career, don’t you think?

Kobe Bryant

Stats In His Last Game: 60 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steal, 1 Block

Date: April 13, 2016

For 20 years, Kobe Bryant called Los Angeles and the Staples Center home as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1997 through 2016. Bryant would become a global icon and ambassador for the game as he went on to win five NBA championships, two Finals MVP awards, and an MVP in 2008. By the time his final game came in 2016, Bryant had been playing like a shell of himself for quite some time, with major injuries piling up, leaving him unable to play up to the very high standards he had made for himself.

In 2016, the Lakers were once again historically bad, with a 17-65 record overall. In his final appearance against the Utah Jazz in 2015-16, Kobe was given the green light to deliver one last special performance in front of the L.A. crown. That is exactly what he would do with 60 points on the night while shooting 22-50 from the field overall and 6-21 from three. The performance gave him by far the most points in a player’s final contest and allowed Kobe to end his career just as he spent most of it, the best player on the court and a consummate winner.

Magic Johnson

Stats In His Last Game: 8 Points, 8 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: May 2, 1996

It goes without saying that the HIV Virus robbed us of four seasons of Magic Johnson playing elite basketball. Up until the 1991-92 season, when he announced his diagnosis, he had been one of the best players in the NBA, who led the Showtime Lakers to five NBA championships during the 1980s. Johnson would also claim three Finals MVP awards and three MVP awards during this time. In the season before he announced he was sick, Johnson finished runner-up for MVP and led the Lakers to an NBA Finals appearance.

After four seasons on the shelf due to HIV, Johnson returned for the final 32 games of the 1995-96 season. In those 32 games, he averaged 14.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 6.9 APG, with the Lakers winning 53 games overall and qualifying for the NBA playoffs. Magic would appear for the Lakers in their first-round series against the Rockets they promptly lost in four games. Magic would play his final game in Game 4, an eight-point loss to be eliminated. Magic came off the bench to go 2-8 shooting with eight rebounds and five assists as well.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Stats In His Final Game: 7 Points, 3 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 2 Blocks

Date June 13, 1989

For 20 seasons, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put together one of the greatest careers in NBA history. In fact, before a man named Michael Jordan came along, Kareem could be considered the GOAT as he went on to win six NBA championships, an NBA record six MVP awards, two Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, and a host of other accolades and achievements. The entire 1988-89 season was one, long farewell to Kareem as teams gifted him and showered him with compliments every time he stepped on their floor for the last time.

It almost ended perfectly too. Kareem and the Lakers were seeking their third straight NBA championship after going back-to-back in 1987 and 1988. In the NBA Finals, they would come up against the Detroit Pistons just as they had in their 1988 victory. The Pistons would make the Lakers look less than formidable with a four-game sweep of the Lakers for their first NBA title. Kareem would lay an egg with just 8 points in 30 minutes on the court on 2-8 shooting. It was a disappointing ending for Kareem, but he left behind a legacy that few have come close to replicating since as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and most accomplished player to date.

Michael Jordan

Stats In His Last Game: 15 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Blocks

Date: April 16, 2003

Michael Jordan had the chance to have his last performance be the one ranked at the top of everybody’s list in 1988. After leading the Bulls to five NBA championships with five Finals MVP awards, Jordan clinched his sixth title and NBA record sixth Finals MVP with the perfect summary of his career. In Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals with a defensive strip of Karl Malone and a game-winning shot at the other end over Bryon Russell. As I said, it would have been perfect.

That is until he came back at nearly 40 years old to play for the Washington Wizards. Even at 39 and 40, Jordan could still show up and be the best player on the court at times. Even in his final season, Jordan defied the odds by playing all 82 games and averaging 20.0 PPG coming off a major knee injury on top of his age. Jordan’s Wizards teams were not very good, and by game No. 82 in 2003, they were eliminated from playoff contention. Jordan would play 28 minutes in his final NBA game, going 6-15 from the floor for 15 points.

It was a far less dramatic ending to the GOAT’s career than he should have had back in 1998, but I will never forget the day we watched Michael Jordan walk off the court for the very last time in 2003. 

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