Sports Superstars Who Should Leave While on Top
If you can play sports and make millions of dollars at the same time, then you probably should, for as long as it’s even remotely possible.
With that said, plenty of the world’s most accomplished and competitive athletes would prefer to retire while they are still on top, exiting their respective sports before their peers pass them by.
Identifying that exact moment in time, however, can often be a difficult chore.
At what point, for example, will Peyton Manning’s true downfall really begin?
And assuming Floyd Mayweather Jr. fights and defeats Manny Pacquiao in the next year or so, would taking frequent fists to the face truly remain a worthwhile endeavor?
Finally, with sunny South Beach calling, does the perpetually battered and bruised Dwyane Wade really have anything left to gain out on the hardwood?
With the aforementioned athletes and others in mind, we’ve created our very own list, highlighting 10 Sports Superstars Who Should Leave While on Top.
Some selections are obvious, while others a bit more surprising, but each athlete has one thing in common: the chance to retire while they are still great, and just before it’s too late.
Peyton Manning
1 of 10
Of all the athletes to make our “quit now while you’re ahead” list, Peyton Manning probably still has the most to gain.
After all, if number of championships is the most important stat of all, and Manning wants to solidify his spot amongst the top quarterbacks to ever play the game, his single ring hardly stands up.
Not to mention he plays for the Denver Broncos, a team that should once again compete for a championship after losing in the Super Bowl in 2014.
Still, though, at 38 years of age, Manning’s end is sure to come sooner than later, and there’s something to be said for leaving the game while on or near the top, where Manning clearly still stands—he presently ranks among the best in the NFL in passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage and quarterback rating.
Yet while the 16-year vet turned in a historically elite season in 2013, his reputation still took a small hit after the Seahawks demolished his Broncos in the Super Bowl, 43-8. Meanwhile, even more recently, his coach—John Fox—has started to regularly employ heavy personnel packages, greatly reducing the number of times Manning drops back to throw.
Best-case scenario, Denver wins a title this year and Manning can leave the game with as prolific a resume as just about any quarterback ever. But should they instead turn in another disappointing ending, the all-time great would still be wise to walk away, before any other warts appear.
Dwyane Wade
2 of 10
Although Dwyane Wade clearly isn’t the scorer he once was—his average of 22.8 PPG in 2014 is nearly eight points below his scoring average in 2008-09—he still ranks as one of the NBA’s best perimeter weapons.
Flash remains in the top 10 in Player Efficiency Rating, according to ESPN, and is shooting above 50 percent from the floor for just the fourth time in his 12-year run.
And, from a career standpoint, Wade has accomplished plenty. He is a 10-time All-Star and, more importantly, a three-time NBA champion.
That said, it hasn’t been all roses for Wade of late. After falling to San Antonio in 2014’s NBA Finals, the veteran shooting guard watched his best-ever running mate—LeBron James—leave Miami for greener pastures.
And, more importantly, Wade has struggled with injury in major ways the last few seasons, missing 33 games in 2011-12 and another 28 last season alone.
So, while he’s still playing the 2-spot about as well as anyone in the world, Dwyane Wade is also showing clear signs of deterioration, and he needs to retire soon if he wants to retire on top.
Serena Williams
3 of 10
In the wide world of women's tennis, Serena Williams is clearly still the very best.
At the age of 33, she is currently ranked No. 1 in the world and managed to win yet another major—the U.S. Open—in 2014.
But even with all that in mind, it would be silly and irresponsible to ignore her recent struggles.
Williams floundered at 2014’s Australian Open, where she not only lost in the fourth round, but to Ana Ivanovic for the first time ever.
At the French Open, things only got worse for the American great, as Williams suffered a career-worst loss against Garbine Muguruza, who defeated the top seed in the second round while losing just four games in the entire match.
And at Wimbledon, she lost to Alize Cornet in the third round, which marked her earliest exit there since 2005.
Of course, as alluded to above, Williams finished the year on a high note, winning the U.S. Open—the season’s final major tournament—to capture her 18th Grand Slam victory.
Now more than ever, Serena's peaks are followed by valleys. If she acts sooner than later, though, the future Hall of Famer will have the rare opportunity to leave the game while she’s still the very best at playing it.
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Calvin Johnson
4 of 10
We know this selection won’t be a popular one, but Calvin Johnson’s stature as the game’s very best wideout is in serious jeopardy.
Don’t look now, but the 29-year-old vet currently sits outside the top 15 this season in receiving yards, yards per catch, receiving touchdowns and total receptions.
Sure, the former Georgia Tech star has been forced to sit out three games this year due to injury, but his statistical averages for the season are nonetheless far behind his production from years past.
And the aforementioned injuries matter too.
Megatron has dealt with ankle and elbow issues for most of 2014.
Of course, in March of 2012, ‘Tron signed a brand new eight-year contract worth $132 million.
If he plays through the entirety of that deal, however, the still-dominant pass-catcher will by then be a shell of his present self.
After all, he’s already starting to lose ground, and with no championship in sight.
If instead, though, he follows the path of a former Detroit great—Barry Sanders—he can solidify his sterling image for the rest of time.
Tim Duncan
5 of 10
Tim Duncan is presently experiencing a renaissance of sorts.
At the age of 38, the Big Fundamental led the Spurs past LeBron James and to the title in 2014, winning a championship for the fifth time in his career. He remains incredibly efficient, too, still ranking in the league’s top 15 in ESPN's Player Efficiency Rating.
We’d be remiss, however, if we didn’t at least consider that Duncan’s nearly 39 years old and that his team’s average age is 29.1, making the Spurs the oldest squad in the league.
Fresh off a title, San Antonio should once again challenge in 2015—it sits fifth in the ultra-competitive Western Conference and will continue to coast until the postseason arrives.
In the years to come, however, both the Spurs and Duncan have plenty of reason to anticipate a steady decline.
And, if instead of hanging on he decides to hang up his sneakers, Duncan would manage to retire while he’s still way ahead.
Roger Federer
6 of 10
In real life Roger Federer is just 33 years old, but in tennis years that’s closer to 133.
And for the first time in his illustrious career, Federer showed signs of aging in 2013. He struggled with substantial back injuries in both March and July while his tennis, and ranking, subsequently suffered—he dropped in the rankings from second to sixth in the world.
At Wimbledon—where the Hall of Famer has won a record seven times—the Swiss sensation fell in the second round to Sergiy Stakhovsky, putting an end to his one-of-a-kind streak of 36 consecutive quarterfinal appearances at major tournaments.
The disastrous year inspired Fed to switch both rackets and swing coaches, which largely paid off in 2014, when he returned to No. 2 in the world and captured a Davis Cup Title.
Yet while he's no doubt bounced back in the last 12 months, he’s still not the Federer of old.
Fed's durability—which was long considered one of his biggest strengths—has noticeably diminished and, despite holding the record among males with 17 major victories, he hasn’t won one since 2012.
So while Federer's slide hasn’t removed him from tennis relevance altogether, he’d be wise to voluntarily delete himself from the discussion, before he falls any further behind the standard of excellence he once set.
Tony Parker
7 of 10
It’s crazy to think—and even crazier to write—that at 32 years of age, Tony Parker has accomplished pretty much all that the NBA will allow.
The man who once called France home is a six-time All-Star, an NBA Finals MVP and a four-time champion, leading the Spurs to the mountaintop as recently as last year (2014).
If Parker—who is still considered one of the league’s top floor generals—were to retire following the 2014-15 NBA season, he’d end it as San Antonio’s all-time leader in assists, ahead of the likes of Avery Johnson, Tim Duncan, Johnny Moore, Manu Ginobili and George Gervin.
Should he, however, decide to hold on any longer, there’s reason to believe serious regression is right around the corner.
It takes looking at Parker’s production—or lack thereof—this season alone to tell the story.
His turnover rate, for example, has suddenly skyrocketed to 16.6 percent—his highest since his rookie season—while his rebound rate has also dropped to career-low depths. Not so surprisingly, then, the Spurs are actually more efficient on offense when Parker’s on the bench and significantly better on defense as well.
Sure, this all could just be an aberration—we are not yet even to the season’s halfway point.
But with so much already accomplished, Parker has little reason to gamble. Meanwhile, if he instead decides to keep playing, he will likely fall farther and farther behind the top point guards in the world.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
8 of 10
Unlike with other members of our list, it’s hard to point to signs of regression when it comes to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
After all, the 37-year-old boxer remains undefeated—a perfect 47-0.
He’s also—like the line above clearly indicates—37 years old.
And though Mayweather—a defensive specialist—rarely takes a beating, no one can avoid Father Time forever.
More importantly, Mayweather has fewer hurdles than ever to clear. In the last couple years, he has defeated the young and equally promising Canelo Alvarez and has outlasted Marcos Maidana on two separate occasions.
In truth, there’s really only one more fighter for Mayweather to conquer: Manny Pacquiao.
Many believe that, over the years, Mayweather has dodged Pac-Man, simply waiting for the latter to age enough to turn beatable. And it’s happened: Pacquiao has lost twice in his last five bouts.
Many also, however, believe the two will come to official blows in the very near future.
And should Mayweather leave that contest unblemished too, it will then clearly be time for the Pretty Boy to hang his gloves up.
Tom Brady
9 of 10
At the ripe old age of 37, Tom Brady once again has his Patriots eyeing the Super Bowl. At the time this article was published, New England sat with an NFL-leading 12-3 record.
With that said, the Brady-led Pats have experienced great regular seasons on numerous occasions only to fall short of their ultimate goal come postseason play.
In fact, Brady and New England haven’t won a Super Bowl since 2005 and lost both of the last two times they made it so far.
And even though Brady is still playing the game at a high level—he continues to rank among the top 10 quarterbacks in most relevant statistical categories—he’s gotten to the point where every ringless season counts as a strike against his legacy.
In the end, we aren’t saying the three-time champion needs to retire tomorrow. But Brady has accomplished plenty, while his window of opportunity is clearly growing smaller and smaller by the year.
Kobe Bryant
10 of 10
Perhaps no one on our list belongs more than Kobe Bryant.
The Mamba already has his rings, winning five NBA titles between 2000 and 2010.
He’s also a two-time Finals MVP, a regular-season MVP and a 16-time All-Star.
More importantly, Bryant’s team is dreadful—presently 8-19 on the young NBA season—and most likely years away from being once again relevant.
And while we know Kobe is still chasing Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the game’s all-time scoring list—he is 4,563 points behind the former and another 6,022 points behind the latter—he’d have to play at least another three seasons to catch Abdul-Jabbar and would likely hurt his reputation in the process.
That may sound absurd to some, but even now Kobe is playing bad basketball in the name of the history books.
Sure, he’s averaging over 24 PPG this season, but he alone has taken more mid-range jumpers than 12 NBA teams, not to mention he’s been making them at a below-average clip.
And, not surprisingly, Bryant has grown into a defensive liability, too, ranking dead last in the league in defensive real plus-minus.
Simply put, he’s doing everything he can to chase history despite the fact that doing so has been—and will continue to be—largely detrimental to his team and its efforts.
So, when his contract expires in 2015-’06, Bryant would be wise to call it quits, before his sideshow act grows embarrassingly stale. That is, of course, assuming it hasn’t already done so.
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