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NBA players come and go and every year, as new players enter via the NBA draft, there are also a group of players who decide to call it quits at the end of every NBA season. 2019 was no different and here are the top NBA players who retired during the 2018-19 season.
Dwyane Wade
Who doesn’t know D-Wade? Wade was the original franchise superstar of the Miami Heat. He and Shaq led the Heat to their first NBA title. Then he combined with LeBron James and Chris Bosh to win two more NBA titles for Miami. Wade was the Heat’s 5th overall pick in 2003 and played 16 seasons. Wade was the 2006 NBA Finals MVP and was part of the “Redeem Team” which won the gold medal in the 2008 Olympic Games.
Dirk Nowitzki
The player who revolutionized the Power Forward position by adding the three-point weapon to the four position. Nowitzki entered the league with skills like no other and while many doubted if he would make it in a physical league, this German import proved that he is among the greats. Dirk led Dallas to their first NBA title in 2011, beating a Miami Heat team led by LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. Nowitzki was the NBA’s 2007 MVP and played 21 seasons for the Mavericks.
Tony Parker
Tony Parker helped create the Spurs Dynasty which won four NBA titles. He teamed up with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to form a Big 3 in San Antonio. Parker didn’t have the best outside shot but he was an excellent finisher and could score in traffic or drive in the lanes. He was the Spurs’ 28th overall pick in 2001 and arguably one of the biggest steals in the NBA draft. Parker was a six-time NBA All-Star with the Spurs.
Channing Frye
Channing Frye was the New York Knicks’ 8th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft, the first senior college player taken in that draft. Frye also played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers. Frye was a good three-point shooter for a power forward and he helped stretched many defenses in the NBA. In 2016, Frye won an NBA title while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers team which came back from a 1-3 finals deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors.
Al Jefferson
Big Al was a bruising big man who started his NBA career with the Boston Celtics. Boston drafted him with the 15th overall pick of the 2004 draft after Jefferson skipped college and went to the NBA straight out of Prentiss High School in Mississippi. He also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, and Indiana Pacers.
Darren Collison
Darren Collison played 10 seasons with 5 teams in the NBA. He played four seasons for the UCLA Bruins where he was an All-PAC 10 conference honors and the winner of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award in his senior season as the best college player under 6-1. He was named to the All-Rookie team in his freshman NBA season after being drafted 21st overall in the 2009 NBA draft.
Ronnie Price
After being undrafted in the 2005 NBA Draft, he spent 12 seasons in the NBA playing for the Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Phoenix Suns. Immediately after retiring, Price was hired as part of the Suns’ scouting department as a scout.
Gerald Henderson Jr.
Jerome MicKinley Henderson Jr. was the 12th overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. He played a total of 8 NBA seasons after playing collegiate ball with the Duke Blue Devils. Henderson was a McDonald’s All-American in 2006 and was a First Team All-ACC in 2009. He was also a 3rd team All-American in his senior season at Duke.
Kris Humphries
Kris Humphries was the 14th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft after playing college ball at Minnesota. He played a total of 13 NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns and finally, the Atlanta Hawks. Humphries had a couple of good seasons in Brooklyn and Washington but after a short marriage to Kim Kardashian, his career plummeted.
