The FINAL Game of NBA Legends

LeBron James is going to be an NBA legend. There's no way around it. All the championships he's won, all the accolades he's won, it's only the tip of the iceberg. At the moment, as a 38 year old, he's had 47 and 48 point outings, and for the season he's averaging close to a 30 point triple double. Trust me when I say, these numbers are insane. To do what he's doing is absolutely unheard of at any age like his, and if you don't believe me, let's look at the last season and last games of NBA legends. Let's start off by looking at Allen Iverson. Despite standing at six feet, Iverson overcame the odds and became one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. He's a former MVP, a four-time scoring champion, but more than his accolades, his streetball style of play brought a whole new level of excitement to the NBA. His last NBA season was in 2010, where he was 38 years old, and in that year he averaged 13.9 points, three rebounds, and 4.1 assists. Now, on the night of February 20th, 2010, AI got on the court for one last dance, and despite being blown out by Derek Rose and the Bulls, Iverson showed that he could still play ball. When the final buzzer sounded, Iverson managed to have a decent farewell game by tallying 13 points, along with one rebound and three assists. Anyway, next off we have the legend amongst legends, Michael Jordan. Selected as the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 draft, Michael Jordan was a generational talent that was head and shoulders above everyone else. Whether it was about athleticism, skills, or charisma, Jordan took over the league and brought it to new heights while being the face of the league throughout the 90s, where he won six championships. His last season in the NBA was in 2003, where he was 40 years old, and for that year, MJ averaged 20 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Anyway, on April 16th, 2003, Air Jordan took his final flight against the 76ers, and in that game, MJ turned back the clocks of time a little bit to give fans something to cheer about. Jordan ended up scoring 15 points in his final game, and he also came up with four rebounds and four assists to end his illustrious career in a loss against Philadelphia, where Allen Iverson actually went on for 35. Anyway guys, from one legend to another, let's now talk about the last game of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Nowadays, many players have their own signature shots, like the step back or fadeaway, but back then, Kareem's skyhook was the most lethal offensive weapon in the NBA. Standing at 7'2", Kareem was simply unstoppable, and because of his height, his skyhook became virtually unguardable. This allowed Kareem to bag six MVPs and six championships, along with 19 All-Star appearances with one single move. Sheesh. His last season in the NBA was back in 1989, where he was 42 years old. In the regular season of that year, the Lakers legend averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds, but his playing days didn't stop there because Kareem made the playoffs in his final season. Actually, in his last season at age 42, he didn't just make the playoffs, he made the NBA Finals. For those 15 postseason games, Kareem averaged 11.1 points and 3.9 rebounds, and in his last game, which happened to be a loss, he still tallied 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. And even though the Lakers got swept in that series against the Pistons, Kareem still played his heart out and got a resounding ovation when he sat out for good. The Lakers dominated pretty much throughout the 80s because of Kareem, but we all know that he wouldn't have been so dominant if it wasn't for Magic Johnson. When Magic entered the league in 1979, he brought a flashy style of basketball and revolutionized the point guard position with his incredible vision and feel for the game. At 6'9", Magic was the premiere unicorn of his time as he could play multiple positions while delivering quality entertainment to the fans with a combination of his flair and flamboyance whenever he threw dimes on the break. As the main quarterback of the Showtime Lakers, Magic was hailed as a 3-time MVP, a 3-time Finals MVP, a 12-time All-Star, and most importantly, a 5-time champion. Anyway, Magic played his last season in 1996 at the age of 36. During this year, the Lakers legend averaged 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, which is a pretty decent stat line if you ask me. Then to top it off, he also made the playoffs. However, against the defending champions Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets, the Lakers were defeated in the first round, and in Magic's final game, he scored 8 points and racked up 5 rebounds, along with 5 assists. Anyway guys, since we brought up Magic's name on the list, I think it's pretty appropriate that we talk about Larry Bird next. Bird is probably one of the highest basketball IQ players in NBA history. I mean, knowing that he couldn't jump as high as his opponents, Bird developed a strong outside game, and on top of that, he was also crafty in finishing around the rim. And just like Magic, he could play all positions, from facilitating, to rebounding, to putting points on the board. Now, his last season took place in 1992, where he averaged 20.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 6.8 assists as a 35 year old. He was also just a tiny bit shy of shooting 50-40-90 that year, and if you were wondering if he made the playoffs, the answer is yes. Bird's last NBA game occurred in the 1992 playoffs, where he lost against Cleveland in the first round. For the last and final game of his legendary career, Larry scored 12 points and collected 5 boards and 4 assists as the Celtics were soundly beaten by 18 points. Anyway guys, from talking about the last game of Larry Bird, let's now move on to another legend and talk about the final moments of Tim Duncan's career. Drafted as the number one overall pick in the 1997 draft, Tim Duncan was a franchise turning player who brought stability and continued success to the San Antonio Spurs for two decades, which resulted in countless playoff appearances and five NBA championships. A 15-time All-Star and a back-to-back league MVP, Duncan showed us the beauty behind playing simple basketball. Timmy's fundamental based playstyle delivered consistent results year after year, and although his playstyle might look boring and outdated to many, it sure as heck affected when it counted the most. Anyway, his last season was back in 2016, where he averaged 8.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. The Spurs also made the playoffs that season, and on May 20th, 2016, at the age of 40, Duncan registered 19 points along with 5 rebounds and a block in a losing effort against KD, Westbrook, and the OKC Thunder in that year's playoffs. Now, from one legendary big to another, let's stroll down memory lane and reveal how Wilt Chamberlain performed in his final season and game. As they say, basketball is a game of giants, and if there's one giant that truly changed the game forever, then there's no doubt that it has to be Wilt Chamberlain. During his prime, Chamberlain was just a different kind of monster, as he would often make grown men look like high school varsity players with his sheer force and dominance inside the paint. A two-time champion and a four-time MVP, Wilt was so strong then that the NBA had no choice but to step in and impose some rule changes in order to even the playing field against Chamberlain. Anyway, Wilt had his last dance back in 1973, where, at the age of 36, he averaged 13.2 points, 18.6 rebounds, and also 4.5 assists. Then, he flexed his muscles one last time against Phil Jackson in the Nixon Game 5 of the 1973 Finals, where he scored 23 points and 21 rebounds in a losing effort, before he hung his sneakers up for good. Now, speaking of dominant centers, let's now take a look back at the final moments of Hakim Olajuwon's 18-year career. A 12-time All-Star, a one-time League MVP, a back-to-back champion, and Finals MVP, Olajuwon redefined the role of a traditional big man by using his quickness and finesse in scoring on the block, rather than solely relying on power and strength. His patented dream shake, as well as advanced footwork and post moves paved the way for other greats like Yao Ming, Dwight Howard, and most notably, Kobe Bryant. Hakim played his last season in 2002, at the age of 39, and averaged 7.1 points and 6 rebounds. Now, when it came to his last game, the then 39-year-old Olajuwon didn't really go out with a bang, as he only scored 8 points and 4 rebounds in his first round playoff exit against Detroit. But still, we can't deny the fact he stamped his name into the NBA history books. Anyway guys, let's now take a look back at Isaiah Thomas. Before MJ took over the league in the 90's, Isaiah Thomas was MJ's kryptonite as he denied him a trip to the Finals for 3 consecutive seasons. As the heart and soul of the Bad Boy Pistons, Thomas led Detroit to back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990, and aside from that, he was also a 12-time NBA All-Star, a former Finals MVP, and he was actually the original baby-faced assassin. Anyway, IT played his last season in 1994, at the age of 32, where he averaged 14.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 6.9 assists. In his final NBA appearance, Isaiah tallied 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists against the Orlando Magic before he ruptured his Achilles, which sadly forced him to retire a month later. Now, speaking of NBA legends whose career ended on a sad note, let's now check out what happened to Shaquille O'Neal. During the peak of his powers, Shaq was a backboard-breaking beast that couldn't be stopped. Just like Will, he was such a force back then that the NBA had to reinstate the zone defense so that teams could double team illegally. A 15-time All-Star, a one-time league MVP, and a three-time Finals MVP, Shaq anchored the Lakers dynasty and drove them to three consecutive championships while being the Lakers' main guy. Now, despite his sheer dominance, Shaq eventually flamed out due to a ton of injuries late in his career. He finished his career in 2011 at the age of 39 with the Boston Celtics, where he averaged 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds. And in his final game against the Heat in the 2011 playoffs, Shaq played just a total of 3.5 minutes without recording a single point, rebound, or assist. Then immediately after the game, Shaq quietly retired. While that sounds really depressing, the same thing could not be said of the last game of Shaq's long-time teammate, Kobe Bryant. Though he was originally pegged as the next Michael Jordan, Kobe was able to create his own identity and carved his own legacy with his inhuman work ethic and insane drive for greatness. An 18-time All-Star, a 5-time champion, a one-time league MVP, two-time Finals MVP, Kobe is a certified killer on the court and is considered to be one of the most lethal clutch shot makers of all time. For his last season back in 2016, Kobe was 37 years old and averaged 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Then, on March 13, 2016, Kobe channeled his Mamba mentality for one last dance and dropped 60 points in a win against the Jazz. Every other NBA legend we spoke about so far left the game on an L, but Kobe rallied the whole city of Los Angeles behind him as he mounted not only a win, but arguably one of the greatest comebacks by a single player in NBA history. This has to be the greatest farewell game amongst all legends in NBA history.