Top 5 NBA players who were forced to retire feat. Elgin Baylor

#3 Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson’s NBA career didn’t have the ending reserved for icons of the game. The beginning of the end started after the Denver Nuggets traded him to the Detroit Pistons. Then Pistons coach Michael Curry wanted the former MVP to come off the bench. “AI” pushed back saying he would rather retire than agree to that.

After his short stint in Detroit, Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. Like the Pistons, the Grizzlies wanted him to become part of the bench. He didn’t waste time leaving the team. Iverson played only three games for the Grizzlies before the point guard and the team mutually agreed to terminate his contract.

Allen Iverson’s NBA career could have had a Hollywood ending when he decided to return to Philadelphia. Like what he did in Memphis, “The Answer” also left the 76ers for “personal reasons.” Iverson reportedly had to help his daughter deal with an ailment called Kawasaki Disease.

Iverson couldn’t sign with an NBA team so he went to Turkey to play pro basketball. He suffered a calf injury 10 games into his career with Besiktas. He went back to the USA to undergo rehab and never returned.

From an NBA superstar, Allen Iverson’s only offer came from the Texas Legends in the D League. Instead of doing that, he retired in 2013.

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#2 Elgin Baylor

Injuries to both of his knees were Elgin Baylor’s bane. He first suffered a devastating injury in the 1965 NBA Western playoffs. Although he averaged 24.4 PPG in his next six seasons, his mobility steadily deteriorated.

At the start of the 70s, the LA Lakers wanted to play behind a running game, something that Baylor could no longer excel in. The same nagging issues forced him to play two games in the 1970-71 season.

Lakers coach Bill Sharman reportedly asked the legendary forward to come off the bench. Elgin Baylor refused and eventually retired after nine games in the 1971-72 season.

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#1 Larry Sanders

Larry Sanders was out of the NBA when he was only 28 years old. He signed a four-year $44 million rookie extension in August 2013 with the Milwaukee Bucks. The following season, the first year the deal would kick in, he walked away from it citing mental health as the reason.

Sanders sat out the entire 2015-16 NBA campaign for the same reason before attempting a comeback the following year. He lasted only five games before quitting for the final time.