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The NBA is full of players who enjoy long and illustrious careers, in addition to players who fizzle out before they reach their prime.
This list isn't about either of those kinds of players. The list ahead is comprised of NBA players whose careers ended way too early.
Whether their careers ended because of non-basketball related health issues, on-the-court injuries or because they were traded away from "their" team too early, these players' careers were cut short before they truly reached their full potential.
Ahead is a list of seven NBA players whose careers ended way too early. Enjoy.
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Anfernee Hardaway's NBA career didn't exactly "end" early, but because of constant injuries his effectiveness declined at way too early of an age.
Hardaway's career started off with a bang when he entered the NBA with the Orlando Magic after a stellar career at the University of Memphis. In his rookie season in Orlando, he averaged an impressive 15.7 ppg, 6.5 apg and 5.2 rpg, which earned him NBA All-Rookie First Team honors that year.
Throughout the next five years with the Magic, Hardaway went to four NBA All-Star Games and was named to two All-NBA First Team honors.
In the 1997-98 season Hardaway missed nearly the entire season with a devastating knee injury, and Hardaway never truly recovered from that, averaging 10.0-plus ppg in only four out of the next 11 seasons.
Hardaway was sent to the Phoenix Suns in the summer of 1999 to play with point guard Jason Kidd, but unfortunately because of nagging injuries to both Kidd and Hardaway the two never really came together, and Kidd was traded away to the New Jersey Nets.
Hardaway's career, which included stops in Toronto, back to Phoenix, New York and Miami, was never really the same. It's a shame that Hardaway never recovered from his knee/foot injuries, because he was one heck of a player when he was 100 percent healthy.
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While Greg Oden's NBA career isn't exactly over, it hasn't really begun either. Oden has been plagued with knee injury after knee injury, resulting in at least four surgeries over the past four years.
Entering his fourth season in the NBA, Oden has only played a total of 82 games. When Oden has been on the court he's produced at a pretty consistent level, averaging 9.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 1.4 bpg, on an impressive 57.7 percent shooting from the field. Oden even led the Trailblazers to a playoff appearance during his "rookie" season in 2008-09.
Sure, there's hope that Oden can recover from his recent micro-fracture surgeries and still have a productive NBA career, but if history tells us anything, it's that seven-footers recovering from recurring knee injuries is a rarity in the NBA.
There's a high likelihood that Oden will miss the entire shortened 2011-12 season, especially after undergoing yet another knee surgery just a few days ago. After this season Oden will become an unrestricted free agent, and with so many questions surrounding his health there's a high likelihood that teams won't pull the trigger on him.
If no one signs Oden this offseason, there's a high likelihood that his career could be over, which is a shame because we've yet to see the best out of Greg Oden.
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Yao Ming came into the NBA as the first overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft, after playing five seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Over the span of five years, Yao played 122 games in China, which is part of the reason why his days in the NBA were cut short.
In Yao's first three seasons in the NBA, he played all but two of the 246 games, which led many to believe that Yao's massive 7'6'', 310 pound frame could handle the pace and demands of the NBA.
Unfortunately, those three seasons were the only of Yao's eight-year NBA career that he actually played in nearly all 82 games.
In the following five seasons, Yao played in only 242 out of the possible 410 games because of injuries to his left foot, right knee and left ankle. The Rockets tried to prolong Yao's career by limiting him to only 24 minutes per game, while also not playing him in back-to-back nights. Unfortunately that wasn't enough, as Yao developed yet another stress fracture in his left ankle that ultimately ended his career in the NBA.
In July of 2011, Yao announced his retirement from the NBA after a productive eight-year career that ended with career averages of 19.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 1.9 bpg.
It's a shame that Yao's career had to end the way it did, but at least while he was healthy he was a productive player that helped bridge the gap between Chinese fans and the NBA.
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Brandon Roy's journey to the NBA was filled with hard work.
Roy retook the SAT test four times just to make the requirements to get into Washington, all while working a job paying $11 an hour cleaning shipping crates because he was unsure if he'd actually make it into college.
After getting into Washington, Roy stayed for all four years of eligibility and earned his college degree while becoming a lottery pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.
Roy transitioned into the NBA with ease, becoming the 2007 Rookie of the Year, while averaging 16.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.0 apg and 1.2 spg. Roy's production only increased throughout the next three years, earning him three consecutive NBA All-Star appearances.
Starting in the 2009-10 season, Roy's degenerative knees took center stage, forcing him to miss 17 games that season and 35 the next season. In January 2011 Roy underwent surgery on both knees, and when he returned in late February he wasn't the same player.
After a somewhat impressive performance against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2010-11 NBA playoff there was hope for Roy going into the 2011-12 season, but that was short lived.
In the weeks before the start of the 2011-12 season, Roy announced that he would be retiring, because of degeneration and lack of cartilage in his knees.
Brandon Roy was one of the brightest stars in the NBA over the past few seasons, and we'll never get to see just how great of a player he could had become.
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Jay Williams' name is synonymous with two things: the Duke Blue Devils and NBA players whose careers ended prematurely.
Williams entered the NBA as the Chicago Bulls' second overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, after an impressive collegiate career at Duke University where he averaged 19.3 ppg, 6.0 apg and 2.2 spg over the span of his three years there.
In his first and only season with the Chicago Bulls, Williams averaged 9.5 ppg, 4.7 apg and 1.2 spg, which were pretty impressive statistics for a rookie point guard in the NBA. Unfortunately for Williams and the Bulls, that's the only NBA production that came from Williams' one-year career.
During the summer after his rookie season, Williams was injured in a motorcycle accident in which he wasn't wearing a helmet and suffered a fractured pelvis, a torn ACL in his left knee and a severed nerve in his left leg. Any one of those injuries would be enough to sideline an NBA career, nevertheless all three at once. What made the accident worse is that it broke the contract he signed with the Bulls, which resulted in Williams being waived from the team.
After several failed attempts at returning to the NBA with the New Jersey Nets and the Miami Heat, Williams ultimately transitioned into his post-NBA career as a college basketball analyst for ESPN.
The worst part of Jay Williams' career-ending injuries is that unlike other players on this list, his could have easily been avoided.
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Len Bias's promising NBA career never actually began, but it still undoubtedly ended way too early.
Coming out of the University of Maryland, Bias averaged 16.
4 ppg and 5.7 rpg. Even more impressive, Bias earned the 1986 ACC Player of the Year honor during his senior season, in which he averaged 23.2 ppg and 7.0 apg.
Based on that impressive senior season production, Bias became the second overall pick of the 1986 NBA Draft, which landed him on the Boston Celtics' roster. After traveling to New York City for the draft announcement, Bias returned to his dorm room at the University of Maryland.
Later that morning EMTs responded to a call to Bias's room where they found Bias unresponsive. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, ending his NBA career as quickly as it started.
Bias's death was a result of cocaine use that night, which makes his untimely death all that more tragic. The saddest part of Len Bias's tragic death is that it was 100 percent avoidable.
While we'll never know how great of an NBA player Len Bias could have been, his tragic death sparked anti-drug advocacy on the part of his parents, which undoubtedly has impacted thousands of lives.
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Allen Iverson will undoubtedly go down as one of the best point/shooting guard combos in the history of the NBA with career averages of 26.7 ppg, 6.2 apg and 3.7 rpg.
While Iverson's career didn't necessarily "end" early, his career with his hometown 76ers ended too early because of his falling out with Philadelphia after the 2006-07 NBA season.
In 2007, Iverson was sent to the Denver Nuggets, where he joined pure scorer Carmelo Anthony and formed one of the most deadly scoring combinations in the NBA that year. In two years with the Nuggets, Iverson averaged 25.6 ppg, which was impressive but didn't help the Nuggets become a better team.
Iverson was then dealt during the 2008-09 season to the Detroit Pistons, followed by signing a one-year contract during the 2009-10 season with the Grizzlies then returning to Philadelphia the next year. Over those three years, Iverson only played in 82 out of 246 games, which all but ended his career in the NBA.
After a short stint in the Turkish basketball league, Iverson tried to make a return to the NBA, but so far there haven't been any teams interested in signing the 36-year-old. Iverson's still got some gas left in the tank, and any team looking for some production off the bench would be wise to sign him.
It's a shame that Iverson and the 76ers couldn't work out their issues back in 2006, because if they had, Iverson undoubtedly could have helped the 76ers stay in the title hunt in the Eastern Conference.
Iverson will undoubtedly go down as one of the best to play the game, but his career will be tarnished by not being able to stay with the 76ers for the entirety of his NBA career.
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Allen Iverson, in full Allen Ezail Iverson, byname the Answer, (born June 7, 1975, Hampton, Virginia, U.
S.), American basketball player known for both explosive play on the court and controversy away from the game. He became the first great athlete to be strongly identified with the hip-hop movement.
Athletic success and controversy came to Iverson at an early age. At Bethel High School, he led the school’s gridiron football and basketball teams to state championships his junior year. At age 17 he was jailed after being accused of starting a racially charged brawl in a bowling alley, but his conviction was later overturned because of lack of evidence. He was offered a scholarship to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where in two years he averaged 23 points per game and won two Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year awards before making the decision to leave school to play professionally. Iverson was chosen first overall in the 1996 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Although he was one of the smallest players in the league, standing 6 feet (1.
8 metres) tall and weighing 165 pounds (75 kg), Iverson immediately made a big splash, leading his team with a scoring average of 23.5 points per game and winning Rookie of the Year honours. His quickness and his signature crossover dribble often left even the best defenders helpless. Off the court his baggy clothing, flashy jewelry, and braided hair were not part of the image the NBA wanted to promote. During his early years in the league, he clashed frequently with coaches and team officials, was portrayed by the media as a selfish, disruptive player, and had several run-ins with the law. Yet he developed a huge following of young fans who identified with his rebellious image.
Despite the controversies that followed him, Iverson proved his talent on the court, taking the league scoring title in 1998–99 and winning the scoring title, the steals title, and Most Valuable Player honours in 2000–01 while guiding the 76ers to the NBA finals. In the middle of the 2006–07 season he was traded to the Denver Nuggets, where he was teamed with young superstar Carmelo Anthony.
Iverson was an extremely proficient scorer, and in 2007 he became the sixth fastest player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points. Denver, however, failed to advance beyond the first round of the play-offs, and Iverson expressed a desire to play for a contender. Three games into the 2008–09 season, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons, but the Pistons finished the season with a losing record and were swept in the first round of the play-offs, leading Iverson and the team to part ways.
Iverson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in September 2009, but, unhappy with his role on the team, he left the Grizzlies after playing only three games, and his contract was terminated soon thereafter. Iverson then announced his retirement from professional basketball, but he instead returned for a second stint with the 76ers, after signing with the team in December 2009. The return of the still-popular Iverson led to an upswing in home attendance for the 76ers that proved to be short-lived.
He left the team in February 2010 to spend time with his ailing daughter, and the next month the 76ers announced that he would not return for the remainder of the 2009–10 season. In October 2010 Iverson signed a two-year contract with Besiktas, a Turkish professional team. He left Besiktas halfway through his first season in Turkey and was without a team until he officially retired in October 2013. Iverson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
Iverson was sentenced to 15 years in prison (10 months for good behavior) on three felony charges. To this day, he maintains complete innocence and swears that he left the scene as soon as the fight broke out.
Second, how old is Allen Iverson? As of 2022, Allen Iverson's net worth is approximately $1 million .
Allen Ezail Iverson, nicknamed "The Answer", is an American former professional basketball player from Hampton, Virginia.
however, in what year did the AI retire?
He left Besiktas in the middle of his first season in Turkey and remained without a team until he officially retired in October 2013 . Iverson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
How long did the AI go to jail?
Iverson was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but after four months in Newport News City Farm Correctional Institution, Iverson was pardoned by Governor Doug Wilder and released from custody.
However, what is AI equity?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Iverson's net worth is $1 million. Although the player has earned over $200 million in NBA salaries and endorsements, overspending and divorce have affected his finances, leading to financial and legal trouble.
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Iverson was charged with possession of marijuana and a controlled substance firearm and was released on $2,000 bail.
A police spokeswoman said the firearm possession charge would be dropped because it only applies if a pound or more of marijuana is found with the gun.
Ironically, Iverson was convicted of "mafia mutilation," a law originally intended to prevent lynching. This law meant that at the age of 17, Iverson could be tried as an adult. Iverson was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Scottie Pippen is an American former NBA basketball player who played a total of 17 seasons in the NBA. He won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.
| Net Worth: | $20 million |
|---|---|
| Age: | 55 |
| Date of birth: | September 25, 1965 |
| Country of origin: | United States of America |
| Source of wealth: | Professional NBA player |
• April 3, 2022
After taxes, expenses and investment income, Forbes estimates James' net worth at around $850 million.
On the court, James' contract with the Lakers makes him the fifth-greatest player in the NBA, but it's his off-court savvy that puts him in a league of his own.
Dennis Rodman today
Today Dennis Rodman has a net worth of $500,000 celebrity net worth. Although he is still far from glory in the Chicago Bulls, he still holds on.
Without weed, Iverson developed a reputation for being a drunk. By 2010, there was always a story in the press about Iverson the alcoholic. Steven A. Smith of ESPN wrote that Iverson would "drunk himself to oblivion" or "lose his life" during the trips to Atlantic City.
Blackmon claimed that he gave Iverson the nickname in 1994 and they reached an agreement for Blackmon to pay back any money Iverson received for the nickname. Putting the pieces together, the answer could be as simple as Iverson being the "Answer" to the Sixers and the NBA's problems.
Point guard Iverson was an outstanding basketball player at Bethel High School in the Hamptons. He ran into trouble at age 17 when he was involved in a bowling alley brawl between rival groups of black and white high school students. Convicted on riot charges in 1993, Iverson was sentenced to five years in prison.
Steve Kerr Net Worth and Salary: Steve Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player and current NBA coach with a net worth of $35 million.
Steve Kerr Net worth.
| Net Worth: | $35 million |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | Sep 27, 1965 (aged 56) |
| Gender: | M |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
in Manhattan Abdul-Jabbar worked his way up in the NBA world until he eventually amassed an impressive net worth of $20 million in celebrity net worth.
The world's top American former professional basketball player Magic Johnson has a net worth of $600 million.
As of 2022, Shaquille O'Neal's net worth is approximately $400 million, making him one of the richest athletes in the world.
| Net Worth: | $400 million |
|---|---|
| Last update: | 2021 |
• April 9, 2022
According to Celebrity Net Worth, O'Neal is worth an estimated $400 million. Copyright 2022 Nexstar Media Inc.
Phil Jackson Net Worth
| Net Worth: | $70 million |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | 17 Sep 1945 (aged 76) |
| Gender: | M |
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2. 03 m) |
| Profession: | Coach, basketball coach, basketball player |
Michael Jordan is worth an estimated $1.5 billion, making him the richest NBA player in the world.
After the Tim Donaghy debacle, the NBA needs to be even more vigilant about what its players, coaches and referees are doing in the casino. However, it was revealed that Iverson not only had a "problem" with gambling, but was even banned from entering some casinos (Smith does not write why Iverson was expelled).
Allen Iverson may have played for four different NBA teams, but his heart still belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Finally, in 2013, the divorce was finalized. In addition, Turner and Iverson have five children named Allen Iverson II, Isaiah Rahsaan Iverson, Tiaura Iverson, Messiah Lauren Iverson, and Dream Alija Iverson.
However, by coincidence, Iverson and Turner are now back together and taking care of the children.
Iverson has at least 20 tattoos with special meaning or memories. Allen Iverson's body art includes a tribute to his Virginia hometown and the bulldog logo of the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team.
According to Killilea, in November 1992 Iverson was arrested in Newport News for driving without a license and failed to appear in court. He was later sentenced to community service at a local hospital but was unable to complete it until six months after the deadline, she said.
Charles Wade Barkley is a retired American professional basketball player who currently works as an analyst for Inside the NBA.
| Net Worth: | $50 million |
|---|---|
| Age: | 57 |
| Date of birth: | February 20, 1963 |
| Country of origin: | United States of America |
| Source of wealth: | Professional NBA player |
• April 8, 2022
Reggie Miller Net Worth: Reggie Miller is a retired American professional basketball player with a net worth of $80 million.:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/692126/Chauncey-Billups-chart.0.png)
No less an outstanding speaker than a boxer - Muhammad Ali - said: "If a person at 50 remains the same as he was at 20, he has wasted 30 years of his life."
Today's birthday boy Allen Iverson outwardly looks the same as the "basketball tomboy" who peaked at the beginning of the new century, but speaking of the time that has passed since then, one cannot say that he wasted years in vain. Let it often look like this.
It's damn funny that only yesterday the basketball world was cherishing the moment that most clearly characterizes Iverson as a player and person.
https://twitter.com/CSNPhilly/status/872220434749632512
And when that same rebel turned 42, he describes his current daily routine in a hoarse measured voice.
“Wake up at 7 am, make breakfast for the kids,” Iverson lazily reports, “then I take them to school, get home, answer emails and phone calls, look for funny videos on YouTube, try to be busy all the time.Even if it's a trifle like going to the store for paper towels. I need it.
It is not fear, not memories of what he had to face after the end of his career that drives him to such activity.
https://twitter.com/thephillyvoice/status/842116282023567365
It's no secret that Iverson didn't want to leave basketball, he clung to any options, convulsive transitions to Detroit and Memphis, a ten-game trip to Besiktas ”, a nostalgic return to Philadelphia. It was all just a clumsy attempt to delay the inevitable, complicated by an out-of-control alcohol addiction.
He wanted to continue, but after the only message on the answering machine was an offer from the Texas Legends' Dallas Mavericks farm club, Iverson knew it was over. Former Sixers coach Larry Brown offered to join his coaching staff at Southern Methodist University, but Iverson turned it down:
- I am not suitable for this role, nor for the role of a TV analyst.I just can't criticize the players and say that they did something wrong. Even behind the failures and failures, there is a colossal work that I have no right to question.
The rest of his career and the period after its end, he continued to live in the rhythm and surroundings of the main star of the league, spending 28 thousand a day on trips to bars, steakhouses and shops. Later, in parallel with persistent bills for repayment of loans, news began to appear that Iverson was on the verge of bankruptcy, but the basketball Hall of Fame member himself denied this, saying that he was "far from a complete collapse."
https://twitter.com/MartyTallmanNBA/status/832836879082934272
Fighting temptation and yourself has always been a part of not only Iverson's image, but also the persona, so the situation with excessive extravagance was nothing new. Moreover, Allen had a more serious problem. His wife Tavanna, with whom he had been together since the age of 16, was suffocating in a thick fog of alcohol, financial turmoil and constantly violated family obligations.
https://twitter.com/24365News/status/774888274129281025
During her busy married life, she experienced beatings, her husband's intrigues, an episode when her husband kicked her naked into the street, suspecting her of retaliation. But after Iverson was too drunk to take his wife to the hospital when she went into labor, Tavanna could no longer see other than extreme measures.
“We met when we were teenagers, we went through a lot together, we have five wonderful children whom Allen adores, but if we don’t change something now, it will be too late,” Tavanna fought off attacks from the press and critics who they called her a predator, hungry for money.
You can say anything, but Allen at that time was not the best candidate for "gold diggers". The main source of income for the retired Iveson today remains a sponsorship agreement with Reebok, which, in the course of his active career, the player was helped to conclude by his long-term agent and friend Gary Moore.
https://twitter.com/retroviews/status/774348869580656643
It is thanks to him that Iverson receives a monthly check for 800 thousand from the shoe giant and patiently waits for his 55th birthday; the age at which he will be admitted to the reserve fund worth 32 million, all from the same Reebok. Three years later, a pension from the NBA will help him brighten up his expectations - 8,000 every month for 10 years. Plus the money he will earn as a player-coach in the new BIG3 project, which starts on June 25th.
Not bad, but still not very promising for young treasure hunters who prefer to put their manicured paws on other people's property. And in the case of Iverson, they have little chance.
https://twitter.com/callmedollar/status/623557405847220224
- I gave this woman my heart long and forever. If she had not been destined for me, and I for her, our paths would have diverged much earlier, Iverson is sure.
Allen and Tawanna live separately in a suburb of Miami, but continue to see each other. It is hard for the uninitiated to believe that these two are not married. “We buried the hatchet for the sake of the children,” Tavanna answers annoying questions.
“It’s not easy,” Iverson searches for the right words, “we don’t live together, but sometimes I can stay with her and the children. See them, take them to school, attend matches and holidays with their participation. Now this is the best thing in my life, I pay attention to things and events that have been overlooked for a long time. Be a caring father 24/7. That's what I'm aiming for now.
https://twitter.com/AndreaBarocci/status/451284527218839552
Only Iverson's personal life remains confusing, he speaks clearly and as directly as possible about everything else; another reason why he probably would not have taken root in analytical programs where you need to build cumbersome theories.
He continues to miss the game, zealously follows all the news, does not hide his addictions, and most importantly, does not deny progress, something that even the most refined veteran intellectuals often sin with.
"Kyrie Irving's dribbling is much better than mine," the owner of the once most formidable crossover in the league admits, "and it's hard to find a bigger Westbrook fan in the world than me." This guy is a certified assassin. I am flattered when he is compared to me. I also love Isaiah Thomas, Monta Ellis, Jamal Crawford. You understand, I have sympathy for the role of point guard. Curry? Let me put it this way, Stef's dribbling is better than his dad's, but Dell's was a little faster. Believe me, I played against him... and some other cool guys.
https://twitter.com/SneakerWhorez/status/740397641033523200
When talking about sports, Iverson is a typical layman, he has no advice and theories, only a desire to support this or that athlete, he sincerely admires Ronda Rousey, wants Carmelo has finally won that damned ring, but that's all until the point where it's not about.
.. fishing.
“I want to become a professional angler,” Iverson says in all seriousness, “I want to reach a level where I can compete with the best in the world. I'm talking about real championships that are shown on ESPN. I'm not going to be modest, I'm good at this, but I strive to become the best. This is my dream that I want to fulfill. I recently wrestled for half an hour with a blue marlin that weighed about the same as me. The scoundrel made my life shorter by a couple of years, but he was delicious! For two days we ate fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
https://twitter.com/Jake_Wittkop/status/439956666717446145
Barely a couple of years old retired, fisherman, alcoholic quit, monogamous, husband guiltily trying to mend a broken marriage... How this all resonates with the epic of the fearless bully that revolutionized the game defensemen in the NBA and rewrote the conservative league's propriety rules. But one came out of the other and, despite the contradictions, looks whole.
