10 Current Athletes Who Deserve Mamba-Like Send-Offs When They Retire
Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant just received an epic send-off to close out his illustrious 20-year NBA career. Bryant won a league MVP, five NBA championships and NBA Finals MVP awards, and he was an 18-time All-Star.
Throughout his career, Bryant became a symbol of toughness and dedication and an unquestioned icon of his sport. If there was anyone in his era who deserved a high-profile farewell tour, it was the Black Mamba.
Before Bryant, New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter received a similar set of tributes in 2014 during his last season. Who's next?
This slideshow spotlights 10 current athletes who are also deserving of Mamba-like goodbyes from their sports.
LeBron James
1 of 10
Love him or hate him. Decision or no decision, LeBron James has impacted his sport as much as anyone since Michael Jordan. He's won two NBA championships and four league MVP awards, and he has appeared in 12 NBA All-Star Games. He's also arguably the greatest pure athlete the NBA has ever seen.
Like Kobe, he came to the NBA as a teenager, but he hit his stride much quicker than Bryant. James averaged 20.2 points per game in his first year, and he hasn't scored less than 25.3 per contest since.
When you add in his polarizing effect on fans and the economic prosperity of the league during his career, there's no question James is deserving of a send-off on par with what Bryant received.
Cristiano Ronaldo
2 of 10
Cristiano Ronaldo has his haters, but like James, it's impossible to miss his brilliance in his sport. He has won the Ballon d'Or (FIFA Player of the Year) twice in his career and finished second three other times. While he's still playing at a high level, Ronaldo is 31 years old, and the next generation of world football stars is ready to step into the limelight.
It won't be long before Ronaldo is on the downside of his career—some might argue that time is already upon us.
In any case, when he decides to hang up his boots, he'll go down as one of the best in history. No matter what club he spends his final playing days with, there should be a celebration at every venue he visits in that year.
Tim Duncan
3 of 10
Tim Duncan isn't the type of player who would want a huge send-off when he decides to retire. The cerebral big man may know exactly when he plans to call it quits, but that announcement may come at a time that doesn't allow for the year-long celebration his talents deserve. That would be as vintage Duncan as one of his patented mid-range jump shots off the glass.
To put it plainly, Duncan is the one of the greatest winners in the NBA over the past 20 years. He's won five NBA championships, two league MVP awards and three NBA Finals MVPs, and he's played in 15 All-Star Games.
He's the best power forward who ever lived. That's got to count for something.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Lionel Messi
4 of 10
In 2006, legendary Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona called a teenage Lionel Messi his successor. Despite that immense compliment and subsequent pressure, Messi has more than lived up to the hype. He is the only player who has won more Ballon d'Or awards than Ronaldo, capturing five.
Despite his diminutive stature at 5'6", Messi is a giant in the sports world, and his fame transcends his sport.
He's the face of the popular FIFA video game series and a global icon like no footballer before him—David Beckham included.
Jonathan Toews
5 of 10
The St. Louis Blues eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks from the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday, but Jonathan Toews and Co. have won three Stanley Cups in six years. That's a dynasty in this era of team sports. The current core is primarily responsible for the team's run of success.
The catalyst for Chicago's dominance is its fearless, tough, quiet and likable captain, Toews. Despite the fact that he turns just 28 on April 29, Toews has already accomplished enough on the ice to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
The team success is amazing, but he also has the individual numbers to back up his case for enshrinement. Toews has tallied 564 points in 645 games, and he is plus-187 in his nine-year career.
All of those years have been spent in Chicago, and he could be a guy who never wears another sweater. When he hangs up the skates, he'll join the likes of Bobby Hull, Michael Jordan, Ernie Banks and Walter Payton as a true Chicago sports legend.
Dirk Nowitzki
6 of 10
Depending on how you define the term "international player," Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki could be the greatest ever. You'll get valid arguments from Hakeem Olajuwon supporters, but if you're talking about guys who didn't attend high school or college in the United States, there's no question that the Germany-born Nowitzki is the man.
Nowitzki has spent his entire career in Dallas, and he's sixth in NBA history in scoring. He has been the star on an NBA championship team for a franchise that had never before reached the top.
He'll likely become just the sixth player in history to eclipse the 30,000-point mark during the 2016-17 season. During a time when one of the NBA's biggest initiatives was to globalize the game, Nowitzki was a perfect example of diversity and excellence.
Tamika Catchings
7 of 10
Tamika Catchings is a queen of the court and a heck of a human being. She'll be retiring from basketball after the 2016 Rio Olympics, so each WNBA city should be preparing its gifts and tributes right about now.
There isn't a more honorable athlete in any sport. She has won a WNBA championship, league MVP, WNBA Finals MVP, five Defensive Player of the Year awards and Rookie of the Year, and she's a 10-time All-Star.
Perhaps the only thing bigger than her accomplishments is her spirit. Her mountains of charity work have earned her two Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Awards. Catchings has achieved all of these things despite being born with a hearing problem.
Catchings is far more than an athlete who overcame a disability. She's a true role model. If Catchings isn't worthy of a hero's send-off, no one is.
Dwyane Wade
8 of 10
Believe it or not, Dwyane Wade means just as much to the city of Miami as Bryant does to Los Angeles. Wade has spent all 13 of his NBA seasons in South Beach, and he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Wade has helped lead the Miami Heat to three NBA championships, and he's played in five NBA Finals. He won the NBA Finals MVP in 2006, when he almost single-handedly pushed the Heat past the favored Dallas Mavericks in six games.
Wade doesn't have a league MVP award to his credit because he was snubbed in 2008-09 after averaging 30.2 points, 7.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. He has had opportunities to leave the Heat, but he has stayed loyal to the team that drafted him.
When Wade walks away, he'll go down as one of the best shooting guards of all time.
Buster Posey
9 of 10
If you're saying, "Buster Posey?," you're probably not a San Francisco Giants fan. There's no player more synonymous with his organization's success.
Much like the Blackhawks, the Giants have won three championships since 2010. Posey hasn't just been a member of all three of those championship teams; he's been arguably the best position player on each of them.
He won Rookie of the Year for the first title team in 2010. He won the batting title and captured the National League MVP award during the second championship in 2012. In 2014, he finished sixth in the MVP voting while hitting .322 and clubbing 22 home runs with 89 RBI.
As a catcher, Posey is on his way toward offensive numbers that few at his position have attained. At 29, it could be argued that he's already accomplished enough to be a Hall of Famer. Three World Series rings is the equivalent of six NBA championships because of how much harder it is to repeat or win titles in a cluster in baseball.
Without question, Posey is already a Bay Area sports legend.
Tom Brady
10 of 10
Unfortunately, Tom Brady's legacy has been clouded by accusations and suspensions for cheating. It's a shame because the deflation of a football's air level has nothing to do with Brady's unprecedented greatness on the football field.
His rise from a sixth-round draft pick to arguably the greatest quarterback who ever lived is the stuff of which legends are made. Brady has won four Super Bowl rings, and he was the MVP in three of them. And he's also won three league MVPs.
When he's done, he'll probably have thrown for more yards and touchdowns than anyone in league history. Deflated footballs or not, non-Patriots fans should drop the hate during Brady's final season to pay their respects.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
