Sports Legends Who Will Never Get Back to the Top
We all know the old adage: Father Time always wins.
And while that's true for all of us at some point, for pro athletes they see their skills diminish in their early-to-mid-30s and early 40s, meaning the end of the road for their professional careers.
With some of the most polarizing athletes beginning to wear down, I'm giving you the ones who have reached the top, but unfortunately will never experience the same glory, as these are the sports legends who will never get back to the top.
Editor's Note: The criteria for this list was easy. Each player has won at least one championship because, after all, these guys may compete again, but my prediction is that they'll never win another title.
LeBron James
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The inclusion of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James here comes with a grain of salt, because, as he showed us in Game 5 of the NBA Finals this year, he is still very capable of taking over.
No, the reason James makes it here is because of this—if he doesn't win a title this year with the Cavs, the window of opportunity could be closing faster than anyone really wants to admit.
James, who will be turning 32 years old during the regular season next year, isn't old in normal life, but in basketball terms there's a lot of wear and tear on his body. And when you add in the fact that his supporting cast could be overhauled if his Cavs lose to the Golden State Warriors again—like a Kevin Love trade—taking another year or two to build chemistry with a new roster only adds to the struggle.
James could very well find himself hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy by week's end, or he could find himself reminding us he's still King James on certain occasions, but eventually falling short of a third NBA title.
Miguel Cabrera
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A surefire Hall of Famer, it was only a few years ago that Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera was considered one of the best hitters to ever step in the batter's box, going for a Triple Crown during the 2012 season and winning the AL batting title in four of five years.
While Miggy's just 33 years old and has shown again this year that he's still capable of being dangerous at the dish, the surrounding pieces on the Tigers roster have gotten old, leaving them in a precarious position to rebuild or still chase a title.
Missing out on the playoffs last season, Cabrera will continue to put up numbers because he's that good. Unfortunately, his teammates aren't good enough to give him another chance at a ring.
Dwyane Wade
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The only reason the 34-year-old Dwyane Wade is lower on this list than other players is because his future is so uncertain.
Gone are the days when Wade can carry a team to a deep playoff run himself. But he's still a guy who averaged 19 points per game and showed that he still has some gas left in the proverbial tank by stepping it up in the playoffs this season—albeit, the Miami Heat got bounced in the second round.
Entering an offseason in which he'll be free to sign with anyone, D-Wade must decide if he should remain loyal to the only franchise he's ever known, or if he leaves the Heat and three championship memories behind to hunt for another one elsewhere.
If Wade chooses the former, there's almost no chance of another title. If he opts for the latter, depending on where he would go and who he would team up with, who knows what magic might happen?
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Alex Rodriguez
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Once the premier slugger in all of baseball—even if it may have been performance-enhanced—Alex Rodriguez hasn't had a 30-plus home run, 100-plus RBI season since 2010.
Of course, it doesn't help that he was forced to sit out the 2014 season because of the PEDs he was found to take, but, still, Rodriguez was showing signs of age even before that.
He had a bounce-back campaign in 2015, but has battled injuries all season long and has struggled getting his 40-year-old body back in shape for a long season, leading to the end of the road on his great career.
He plans on calling it quits after the 2017 season, and, with the current state of the New York Yankees, he won't be going out a champion.
Phil Mickelson
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Phil Mickelson has won five major titles after patiently waiting his turn and was, arguably, the second-most dominant player on the PGA Tour for a five-year period in the early 2000s. Unfortunately those days are long gone.
Lefty will always remain a crowd favorite because of his charisma and joy while out on the golf course. It's just that he can't compete with these younger players like Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and others on a regular basis.
Sure, the 46-year-old Mickelson may find himself in the top five of a major one or two times before he hits 50 years old, but don't expect him to earn another victory at the biggest events on tour anymore.
Eli Manning
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A two-time Super Bowl champion who's actually 35 years old—is that crazy to anyone else?—New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has had a solid career that will probably lead to a Hall of Fame bust at some point.
And while no one should ever count out what Manning can do after remembering how he won those Lombardi Trophies, it's hard to believe that, with a new coach this season, he's bound for another Super Bowl appearance.
Manning has all-world receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to throw the pigskin to, but the rest of the NFC is just too deep for the G-Men to realistically expect another championship run during Manning's remaining years.
Albert Pujols
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Like the aforementioned Alex Rodriguez, the 36-year-old Albert Pujols was the pre-eminent slugger during the early-to-mid-2000s, earning three MVP Awards and winning two World Series titles.
That all changed after signing with the Los Angeles Angels in 2012.
Bolting from the St. Louis Cardinals to take more money, Pujols found himself struggling with his bat and his health, missing significant time in five seasons with the Halos.
Even when paired with superstar Mike Trout and a former MVP in his own right, Josh Hamilton, Pujols couldn't return to the form many of us remember him having.
Currently on the disabled list and with Los Angeles struggling, you or I have a better chance of landing a Victoria's Secret model than Pujols does of winning another World Series ring before he retires.
Drew Brees
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Based off last season's stats, Drew Brees can still light up NFL defenses like he were in a video game.
While Brees still has put up decent numbers the past two seasons, gone are the days when he and the New Orleans Saints are considered Super Bowl contenders—and that's not entirely all on Brees' right arm.
Even if the signal-caller can lead the Saints to gaudy offensive numbers again, based off what we've seen over the past few years, it's the Saints' pathetic defense that will limit the team from ever reaching or going deep into the postseason.
Point blank: Other NFC teams have passed New Orleans by, meaning Brees' illustrious career will, more than likely, end with the one Super Bowl victory.
Dirk Nowitzki
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There's no arguing that Dallas Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki is one of the top forwards to ever lace 'em up in NBA history.
With a league MVP, two NBA Finals appearances with one win and 13 All-Star Game selections, Nowitzki has accomplished everything any baller would ever want to.
Now 37 years old, Nowitzki might still have some game left, but the Dallas franchise is sort of in flux, stuck between a middle-of-the-road playoff team and the lottery—which is never a good place to be in for an organization.
Nowitzki won't be be leaving the Mavs before he calls it quits, and he probably won't get another superstar to join him to make one last title run, so the big German will have to settle for going out with pride whenever he does retire.
Tiger Woods
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The Tiger Woods conundrum is one of the trickiest debates in all of sports, as no one's really sure what might happen once he fully recovers from nagging injuries and begins competing on a regular basis.
A 14-time major champion—which is second-most in PGA history—Woods has done some tremendous things that have left sports fans amazed, which is why it's so difficult to write him off.
Well, I'm not going to beat around the bush: Woods will never again finish in the top 10 of a major championship.
At 40 years old and beaten down physically and mentally, Woods will forever go down as one of the greatest of all time, but it would be silly to think he'll ever have enough in his tank for four straight days to win a major title again.
It's a sad reality, but it's just that: reality.
Roger Federer
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One of the good guys in all of sports, 17-time Grand Slam singles champ Roger Federer has set records that will forever live on in the men's tennis.
An all-time great, Federer reached 23 Grand Slam semifinals in a row—which is just absurd to even imagine—making him almost unflappable while on the court.
Still, Fed is now 34 years old and lacks the next gear that elite athletes have always had to win championships, making it nearly impossible to believe he'll get another one before it's time to hang it up.
An absolute icon, Federer will always be remembered for being the greatest champion of his era.
Tim Duncan
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Talk about good guys in sports: San Antonio Spurs big man Tim Duncan has had that distinction his entire career, blending a soft-spoken personality with plenty of winning.
A five-time NBA champ, the Big Fundamental showed for the first time this season that he's starting to get rusty, leading many to believe when he'll call it quits.
While the Spurs did still win 67 regular-season games, Duncan averaged just 8.6 points and 7.3 rebounds, handing the responsibility over to a budding new duo of Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge and taking a supporting role rather than being the leader that we all grew to know.
The Spurs are still strong enough to compete for a title, but if it's not next season, Duncan's NBA career will end with the five he already has.
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