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15 Most Shocking Athlete Retirements

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Michael Jordan Action Portrait

Michael Jordan Action Portrait
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Most athletes dream of retiring after a long career and going out on top after a championship victory. With that said, for whatever reason, some athletes still at the top of their game call it quits when they still have so much left they can accomplish. It can be hard to put ourselves in their shoes and understand the reasons why they would retire, so to help you out, here are 15 of the most shocking athlete retirements.

15. Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders
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15. Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders
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One of, if not the most elusive running backs in NFL history was selected to the Pro Bowl in all 10 years of his playing career. Sanders was a human highlight reel and made every Lions game must-see TV even though Detroit was largely unsuccessful during his tenure. He retired only 1,500 yards short of the NFL rushing record, stating, “My desire to exit the game is greater than my desire to remain in it.”

14. Pat Tillman

Pat Tillman
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14. Pat Tillman

Pat Tillman
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Eight months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Tillman, an Arizona Cardinals safety, turned down a contract extension from the team and instead enlisted in the U.S. Army. Tillman was killed in duty in Afghanistan nearly two years later and received posthumous Silver Star and Purple Heart medals. Pat Tillman will forever be one of sport’s biggest heroes.

13. Rashard Mendenhall

Rashard Mendenhall
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13. Rashard Mendenhall

Rashard Mendenhall
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Prior to his surprising and sudden retirement at the age of 26, Mendenhall was a star running back at the University of Illinois and an NFL first-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The one-time Super Bowl champion left the game and explained his decision by stating, “Football was pretty cool, but I don’t want to play anymore. I want to travel the world and write!”

12. Sandy Koufax

Sandy Koufax
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12. Sandy Koufax

Sandy Koufax
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By the time the Dodgers' left-handed pitcher retired at the age of 30, he had won two Cy Young awards and led the Dodgers to four World Series titles. Koufax’s final season was one for the ages as he posted a 27-9 record with an ERA of 1.73. The main factor in Koufax’s decision was a painful arthritic pitching elbow.

11. Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams
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11. Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams
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One of the most talented players in the NFL during his playing days, Williams could not stay out of the commissioner’s office and out of trouble. In 2004, he retired just before training camp began after testing positive for marijuana. He would return for the 2005 season after serving a four-game suspension and had a solid season for the Dolphins. In 2006, Williams violated the drug policy for a fourth time and was suspended for the entire year.

10. Rocky Marciano

PA: Philadelphia Premiere of Rocky Balboa - Afterparty
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PHILADELPHIA - DECEMBER 18: The Rocky statue rests in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the afterparty for the Philadelphia premiere of Rocky Balboa December 18, 2006 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images for MGM)

10. Rocky Marciano

PA: Philadelphia Premiere of Rocky Balboa - Afterparty
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Obviously the image is only thematically related, but it's hard to argue Marciano being an inspiration. He quit boxing at the age of 33. At the time of his retirement, Rocky was 49-0 with 42 KOs and remains to this day the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated. After his retirement, Marciano became an actor and television host.

9. Yao Ming

Yao Ming
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9. Yao Ming

Yao Ming
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The 7-foot-6 center from China had been suffering from ankle and foot injuries for a couple years before he announced his retirement in 2011. Yao was one of the most recognizable athletes in the world and a dominant force in the NBA when healthy. After surgery to repair a bone in his foot failed to fully heal, Yao retired at the age of 29.

8. Jim Brown

Jim Brown
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8. Jim Brown

Jim Brown
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At the time of his retirement at age 29, the man widely known as the greatest running back in NFL history held the all-time rushing record. Brown left the Browns to pursue a career in acting.

7. Justine Henin

Justine Henin
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7. Justine Henin

Justine Henin
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The year prior to her retirement in 2008, Justine Henin compiled a 63-4 record and won two Grand Slam titles. Henin was the No. 1 player in the world when she made her unanticipated announcement, and was only 25 years old. She made a comeback 16 months later before retiring for good in 2011.

6. Bobby Orr

Bobby Orr
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6. Bobby Orr

Bobby Orr
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Orr’s early retirement at the age of 30 was a devastating blow to the sport of hockey and their fans. The former Bruins and Blackhawks defenseman is still to this day regarded as one of the most skilled skaters in hockey history. Orr was forced to retire due to knee injuries, as he was unable to fully recover after more than a dozen surgeries.

5. Kirby Puckett

Kirby Puckett
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5. Kirby Puckett

Kirby Puckett
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The end of Puckett’s career is one of the saddest stories in sports. The Hall of Fame player played his entire 12-year career with the Minnesota Twins, and his Game 6 walk-off home run of the 1991 World Series is the stuff of legend. Puckett woke up one 1995 Spring Training morning unable to open his right eye. The problem turned out to be glaucoma, forcing Puckett to retire after three unsuccessful surgeries.

4. Otto Graham

Otto Graham
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4. Otto Graham

Otto Graham
Flickr Creative Commons

Graham is in the history books as one of the greatest winners in sports history. In his 10-year career split between the NFL and the All-America Football Conference, Graham won seven championships and made the championship game in all 10 seasons. Graham retired at the age of 34 when most believed he still had several years of dominant football left in him.

3. Bjorn Borg

Bjorn Borg
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3. Bjorn Borg

Bjorn Borg
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One of the greatest tennis players in history, Bjorn Borg had won 11 Grand Slam titles, including five straight Wimbledon titles when he decided to call it quits at the age of only 26. Borg’s reason to retire while still at the top of the tennis world was simply because he no longer found the game fun. He attempted a comeback eight years later, but failed to win a single match over the two years spanning his return.

2. Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson
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2. Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson
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The five-time NBA champion was forced to retire in 1991 at the too-soon age of 31 because he had contracted HIV. Back in the early 90s, HIV awareness was far lower than it is today, and most believed Magic did not have much longer to live. Johnson’s astounding announcement came while he was still one of the best players in the league. He returned to the Lakers in the 1996 season for 32 games and retired for good following a playoff defeat.

1. Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan
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1. Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan
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Basketball’s all-time greatest player ended up retiring from the game three times, with his first retirement stunning the basketball world. Jordan retired at the age of 30 and coming off of three straight NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. After playing minor league baseball for a season, Jordan returned to the sport where he belonged and would win three more NBA titles before eventually hanging them up for good.

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