Top 5 players that came back from retirement

Retirement is one of the toughest decisions made by any sportsperson on this planet. It is not very easy to give up something you love. The decision usually is a result of a lot of factors such as frustrations, age, fitness, or even not being able to adjust to the standards of the game.

We have seen a lot of players retiring, some getting their best-received farewells, and some not in a very warming farewell. We have seen players who have retired from their professional careers but never wanted to give up.

Today we discuss top 5 basketball players who made a comeback after deciding to retire.

Honorable Mention :

# Brandon Roy

Brandon Roy

Brandon Roy was the Rookie of the Year in the 2006-2007 NBA season and the third Trail Blazer to achieve it. He was one of the most talented shooting guards of that time. He averaged 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in his rookie season. His career average is 18.8 points, 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. He is a three-time NBA All-star with a career-high of 52 points.

The only trouble with this guy was his knee injuries. His injuries forced him to retire before the start of 2011 season. He left the NBA out of frustrations but came back in 2012-2013 season with Minnesota Timberwolves and was forced to step-out just after five games played because of a season-ending knee surgery.

#5 George Mikan

George Mikan

George Mikan was one of the greatest NBA players of the early stages.His career average was 23.1 points and 13.4 rebounds per game. He was the member of the first four NBA All-Star games and also had an All-Star MVP trophy to his name. He helped the Minneapolis Lakers to 5 NBA Championships before retiring in 1954 for one year.

He made a comeback in the 1955-1956 season.The only thing not same was his performance. Before retirement, he averaged 24.3 points which were reduced to 10.5 points in the comeback year.The Lakers fell short of the championship that season and he decided to retire again.

#4 Dave Cowens

Dave Cowens

Dave Cowens was the leader of Boston Celtics, post the Bill Russell era. Before his retirement, he already had 2 NBA titles and an MVP award to his name. His career average was 17.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. He was selected to 8 All-Star games and was also a member of the All-NBA Defensive First Team in 1976.

He decided to retire in 1980 leaving the Celtics in the hands of the young Larry Bird. He decided to make a return in 1982 but was immediately traded to Bucks by the Celtics. He did not have a good season with the Milwaukee Bucks. He averaged 8.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game there, playing only 40 games before he had a knee injury that forced him to retire again.

#3 Richie Guerin

Richie Guerin

Richie Guerin aka "Guerrilla" was selected by the New York Knicks in the 1954 NBA draft. He averaged 17.3 points throughout his career.He was a 6-time NBA All-Star and a 3-time All-NBA Second Team.As a coach, he was named as "NBA Coach of the Year" in 1968.He was also named as the Head Coach for NBA All-Star Games in 1969 and 1970.

He has a very different story when we talk about his retirement.He retired in the 1967 season and joined as the head coach for Atlanta Hawks.During the 1969 campaign, many of his players were injured and he had to make a comeback as a player.He made 8 appearances as a coach-player.He retired the following season and continued as a coach for another two years with the Hawks.

#2 Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson is one of the best points guards in the history of NBA.He was a Laker for 13 seasons.He has won five NBA championships and 3 times NBA Most Valuable Player.He is an NBA Hall Of Fame whose jersey no. 32 was retired by the Los Angeles Lakers.

In 1992, he retired from NBA after his HIV positive status was known.This was a shock to everyone.He planned a comeback in the next campaign but couldn't because of the backlash and the health status. He later joined as a head coach for the Lakers for the 1994 season and then made a short comeback back as a player in the 1996 season.

#1Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

"The Goat" is unique and special.He is an NBA Hall Of Fame who retired twice in the NBA and came back even a better version of himself.After his father's death, he retired from the NBA to make a career in Baseball.That was the time when he had already won three championships with the Chicago Bulls.He made a comeback and won three more championships with the Bulls.

Following that, he again retired from the NBA and later on made a comeback with Washington Wizards to prove that he was and will remain the best basketball player to play this game.