Which pro athlete retirement was the most emotional for you?
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optic yellow
Legend
Now we know who Ash Barty's idol is.
titoelcolombiano
Legend
Cameron Smith, Jonathon Thurston, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk leaving the Queensland State of Origin team around the same time was pretty upsetting. Also, Australian cricket hasn't been quite the same for me since the golden generation of Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Martyn, Gilchrist, Warnie, Lee Gillespie and McGrath moved on.
optic yellow
Legend
Mitchell Starc is bae
titoelcolombiano
Legend
I'll have to take your word for that, my taste in men is ahhhh non existent
Decent bowler though
titoelcolombiano
Legend
''Warnie, he's a hero get him up here I want to boof him'' - Bill Laurie (sort of)
optic yellow
Legend
I'm straight so I meant that as a platonic bae.I'll have to take your word for that, my taste in men is ahhhh non existent
PDJ
G.O.A.T.
Evert. That was a sad day, but she left on a high as part of winning Fed Cup team. And never being ranked out of the top 4, most of it 1 or 2.
I remember Jo Durie retiring. She'd lost to Novotna on Court No.1 at Wimbledon.
Novotna, graciously, left the court to allow Durie to receive a standing ovation.
That was an incredible moment.
I remember Jo Durie retiring. She'd lost to Novotna on Court No.1 at Wimbledon.
Novotna, graciously, left the court to allow Durie to receive a standing ovation.
That was an incredible moment.
BorgTheGOAT
Legend
I actually liked it. Showed that he didn’t let himself or his family being disrespected. Sure he shouldn’t have been so stupid to risk the WC title but could have head butted Materazzi after the match was over, but this was simply Zidane, was a hot head all his career so this end was quite fitting. He had won everything at this point anyways.
BorgTheGOAT
Legend
Lol Fed. He is not even decent at basketball for a hobby player, put him in an NBA game and he would look like a deer in the headlights, not being able to provide anything of worth. It would literally be the Lakers playing with only 4 players, no way they or any other team in the history of the NBA wins a championship under such conditions. I hope this was meant as a hyperbole or at least half tongue in cheek. To the topic: Kobe is a legit GOAT candidate who also won titles without Shaq.
NonP
Legend
Can't believe so many are naming Dre's retirement "speech" as their favorite. It was beyond "cheesy," LOL. I honestly felt embarrassed for the guy. Contrast that with the moving and eloquent farewell from Lou Gehrig that @ollinger cited earlier (#24).
(Hit reply by mistake. Will be expanded later.)
(Hit reply by mistake. Will be expanded later.)
optic yellow
Legend
Kobe is not a GOAT candidate lol. Clearly a tier beneath LeBron, MJ, Kareem, etc.
Dude deserved to be awarded a penalty kick for the sheer manliness of that move.
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TimHenmanATG
Hall of Fame
I'm not so sure.
In football, players are constantly chatting disrespectful nonsense in each other's ears. It's hard to believe that this was Zidane's first experience of this. It has not been fully established that Materazzi was even insulting his sister.
In my view, it was the overwhelming personal pressure which made him act like that.
BorgTheGOAT
Legend
Zidane had a history of losing his cool on the pitch. While at Juventus he head butted Jochen Kientz in a champions league match against Leverkusen in 2000, fully unprovoked. There are several other such instances. As for insulting his sister, I think both him and Materazzi have confirmed this.
Poisoned Slice
Bionic Poster
Shawn Michaels could have been more emotional at the time because it did end up being a legit retirement. I thought that he would end up coming back in the summer or something.
Nigel Benn was quite emotional. He was all, ''it's time to call it a day.'' I was sad but you could see he was well past it. Before quickly getting talked back into another payday and the same quote after that defeat. He did mean it the second time. haha
Nigel Benn was quite emotional. He was all, ''it's time to call it a day.'' I was sad but you could see he was well past it. Before quickly getting talked back into another payday and the same quote after that defeat. He did mean it the second time. haha
BorgTheGOAT
Legend
GOAT is subjective. I don’t say he is the overwhelming undisputed GOAT but he is one of the three best in the last 25 years and had an own era that he dominated so he can definitely be in the discussion even if I also personally have guys like Wilt and Jordan ahead.
Poisoned Slice
Bionic Poster
Getting confused. I believe the first time I heard him say it was time to call it a day was after he lost against Malinga. Had 2 fights with Collins after that. Lost both and then called it a day again.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
TimHenmanATG
Hall of Fame
If I remember correctly, Zidane made a sarcastic comment about Materazzi's shirt-tugging, to which the Italian responded with something along the lines of ''I've already swapped shirts with your sister''.
This is just standard ''trash talking''. And considering that Zinedine played several years at Juventus, he must have been fully aware of some of the ''tactics'' which Italian defenders deploy...
TimHenmanATG
Hall of Fame
His brother is a decent high-jumper.
ibbi
G.O.A.T.
Not a pro-athlete, but Alex Ferguson as United manager would have to be right there. Also, though it wasn't actually a retirement, Ric Flair's attempt at one in 2008 would be another of note.
Other than that - Andre Agassi, Stephen Hendry, Tim Duncan, Elena Dementieva, Usain Bolt COLLAPSING.
Then there's the triumphant ones - John Elway, Peyton Manning (kinda), Phelps, Jordan (not counting Washington), Warne and McGrath's final Ashes, Kobe, and Isinbaeva.
Other than that - Andre Agassi, Stephen Hendry, Tim Duncan, Elena Dementieva, Usain Bolt COLLAPSING.
Then there's the triumphant ones - John Elway, Peyton Manning (kinda), Phelps, Jordan (not counting Washington
), Warne and McGrath's final Ashes, Kobe, and Isinbaeva.
NonP
Legend
Guess I'll just post a new one. I've never been terribly stirred by any athlete's retirement. Gun to my head and I suppose I'll go with Zizou's and Kobe's, but that's cuz both were so WTF if in different ways. The coolest would've been MJ's final steal/shot in #6 of the '98 finals, but we know he un-retired himself for a 2nd time. (BTW I had a chance to attend the very last Jordan game at the then MCI Center which is a couple metro stations from my old campus, but had to skip due to schoolwork.)
A couple more things:
Think he had the right response: refusal to apologize to that scumbag, but genuine remorse and acknowledgement of his misdeed. From Wiki: "In 2010, Zidane said that he would 'rather die than apologize' to Materazzi for the headbutt in the final,[89] but also admitted that he 'could never have lived with himself' had he been allowed to remain on the pitch and help France win the match.[90]"
FYI bean counting is even worse in basketball, with "efficiency," PER and all that nonsense now dominating what passes for analysis these days. And of course wannabe experts have bought into it.
Thankfully actual pros know better:
And that's not counting old-timers like Russell, Wilt, Oscar and even Bird - understandable, as most of these kids haven't seen 'em play - though Bill's stock has no doubt risen since his death.
I've already gone over the bigs so lemme share this infallible ranking of the smalls:
1. MJ
2. Big O
3. Kobe/LBJ
5. Bird/Magic
7. KD/Kawhi
9. Jerry
10. Dr. J/Steph
Obviously "small" is a somewhat relative term for a near 7-footer like Durant, but U get the idea. Still not sold on Curry's defense, but with another ring it'll be hard to deny him a higher berth. Giannis may well end up higher than Jerry, J and Steph, though (unless U categorize him as a big, which isn't a stretch as his mid-range game remains iffy).
A couple more things:
Think he had the right response: refusal to apologize to that scumbag, but genuine remorse and acknowledgement of his misdeed. From Wiki: "In 2010, Zidane said that he would 'rather die than apologize' to Materazzi for the headbutt in the final,[89] but also admitted that he 'could never have lived with himself' had he been allowed to remain on the pitch and help France win the match.[90]"
FYI bean counting is even worse in basketball, with "efficiency," PER and all that nonsense now dominating what passes for analysis these days. And of course wannabe experts have bought into it.
Thankfully actual pros know better:
Michael Jordan Crushes LeBron James, Kobe Bryant Through Players' Voice
GOAT status.
clutchpoints.com
And that's not counting old-timers like Russell, Wilt, Oscar and even Bird - understandable, as most of these kids haven't seen 'em play - though Bill's stock has no doubt risen since his death.
I've already gone over the bigs so lemme share this infallible ranking of the smalls:
1. MJ
2. Big O
3. Kobe/LBJ
5. Bird/Magic
7. KD/Kawhi
9. Jerry
10. Dr. J/Steph
Obviously "small" is a somewhat relative term for a near 7-footer like Durant, but U get the idea. Still not sold on Curry's defense, but with another ring it'll be hard to deny him a higher berth. Giannis may well end up higher than Jerry, J and Steph, though (unless U categorize him as a big, which isn't a stretch as his mid-range game remains iffy).
Poisoned Slice
Bionic Poster
The most fantastic experience of my life, too. Probably didn't appreciate it enough because we got so used to winning. But yeah, I remember it well.Not a pro-athlete, but Alex Ferguson as United manager would have to be right there. Also, though it wasn't actually a retirement, Ric Flair's attempt at one in 2008 would be another of note.
Other than that - Andre Agassi, Stephen Hendry, Tim Duncan, Elena Dementieva, Usain Bolt COLLAPSING.
Then there's the triumphant ones - John Elway, Peyton Manning (kinda), Phelps, Jordan (not counting Washington
Terenigma
G.O.A.T.
Same although he ended up coming back but the initial announcement after he lost at the Australian open really felt like he was retiring because his body couldn't compete anymore and I deff had a stir of emotion thinking it was the end for him. It's great he has managed to come back and get a few wins and even a title since then and I don't think his official retirement will have the same impact now as he will have managed to go out somewhat on his own terms.
BorgTheGOAT
Legend
Not much to disagree here. Even though I do not like Jordan he has all the numbers and other factors on his side and deserves the top spot on this list. I would personally switch 3 and 5 but maybe I am a bit biased here since I am a huge Bird and Magic fan (greatest NBA rivalry of all time imho, and even though both were fierce competitors they still had so much respect for each other).
Poisoned Slice
Bionic Poster
Emotional retirements! That's an interesting one. It's gotta be Denis Irwin for me.
TimHenmanATG
Hall of Fame
Not a pro-athlete, but Alex Ferguson as United manager would have to be right there. Also, though it wasn't actually a retirement, Ric Flair's attempt at one in 2008 would be another of note.
Other than that - Andre Agassi, Stephen Hendry, Tim Duncan, Elena Dementieva, Usain Bolt COLLAPSING.
Then there's the triumphant ones - John Elway, Peyton Manning (kinda), Phelps, Jordan (not counting Washington
I forgot how popular Manchester United were until they became an international laughing stock.
Hendry re-entered the tour last year, so maybe his ''retirement'' was only temporary...
BorgTheGOAT
Legend
Absolutely. Given that Materazzi clearly provoked him and was known for being a racist piece of trash even before this incident, I see not much reason for Zizou to apologize here (it is also not that he seriously hurt him). Zidane stood by what he did but also fully accepted the repercussions of being sent of the pitch without any complaint - full respect for this.
vive le beau jeu !
Talk Tennis Guru
I know which one will...
(really plan to celebrate that wonderful day with friends)
(really plan to celebrate that wonderful day with friends)
optic yellow
Legend
I can think of maybe two years where NBA GMs would have taken him first overall if they were redrafting teams from active rosters at the start of the season.
optic yellow
Legend
Putting Kobe on the same tier as LeBron is trolling. Not even Lakers fans think he is equal.
Poisoned Slice
Bionic Poster
I guess timing is everything. Zidane's headbutt might not have been so well received if France did not win the World Cup and Euro double in 1998-2000. Beckham would've had to leave the country if he did something like that in a World Cup final.
WYK
Legend
He had an advantage - most people ask 'why?' of cricket, and not 'when?'.
I think what got me was Borg. It made no sense. His second retirement made much more sense, though.
optic yellow
Legend
I think it is also that it was a very well executed headbutt. It's satisfying to watch because of how solidly it is performed. Clean and with strong conviction.
TimHenmanATG
Hall of Fame
Italian defenders are notorious for their unpublicised ''tactics'' (Chiellini is a current example of this).
As I mentioned previously, he played several seasons for Juve, so he must have been fully au fait with how Italians play the game.
You simply can't defend how Zidane acted. It wasn't a case of him ''defending his family's honour'', but moreso of someone who couldn't handle the pressure.
Don't romanticise a moment where a vaunted player acted extremely unproffesionally...
Poisoned Slice
Bionic Poster
Amen.
''Never apologize. If you're gonna show up late, at least do it with conviction, Mr. Kent. ''
optic yellow
Legend
You are biased talking about a French player
Reflecting more I think people don't care because a headbutt into the chest is a pretty benign action.
TimHenmanATG
Hall of Fame
You are biased talking about a French player
It's not exactly like the average English person is more partial to Italy...
Bruv...
dadadas
Semi-Pro
Any other French player not named Zidane would have not been forgiven by the French supporters. But because its Zidane, people forgave him.
Hoi Polloi
Professional
For me it was Steffi Graf.
I realized that I would never see another woman player that graceful and elegant again in my life time. That made me very sad.
To a bit lesser degree the retirement of Justine „Juju“ Henin.
They don‘t build sports women like them anymore.
NonP
Legend
Bird and Magic definitely paved the road for MJ who admittedly took it to new heights, so in that sense theirs was indeed the greatest NBA rivalry ever.
Individually speaking, though, both fall a hair short of their successors. Magic was the only guy of LeBron's size who could match his athleticism and versatility, not to mention even more dangerous on the run, but the guy was never an elite defender or perimeter shooter. I suppose U could say LBJ was neither for most of his prime and Magic's range would've improved further in this era, but we gotta work with what we do have, no?
Bird's own range was clearly superior to LBJ's and even Kobe's, but he lags well behind both as an athlete. And his man-to-man D was nothing to write home about, either. So still below Bryant and James.
Really the only guys without any hole are His Airness and the Big O, hence their top rankings. (Kobe wasn't as explosive as Mike or as strong as Oscar and LeBron, though U could say his extraordinary bag of tricks makes up for it.) Oscar was in all probability the most complete player ever - the best passer, rebounder and post-up scorer among all ATG wing players - but he didn't quite have a fail-safe weapon a la MJ's fadeaway and probably yields to him in defense (Mike was arguably the best evader of screens ever). And, of course, Jordan was the biggest egomaniac in sports history* and I doubt anyone would be able to keep up with that pathological competitiveness of his in the long run.
*Kobe comes close but I can't see even him trashing his mentors and rivals in a HoF speech - many sitting right in front of him! - while everyone is kissing his ass.
Dunno much about Materazzi but he does seem like a piece of work. And why the hell should Zidane extend the olive branch when the guy who called his sister a "wh0re" to his face and has yet to issue a sincere apology of his own? Zizou accepted the consequences and has expressed regret for letting down his teammates and his nation. That's enough.
1st off, I'm right about everything.
2nd, tell that to those real NBA players many of whom have actually played both. Only newbs give a crap about this "analytics" nonsense.
optic yellow
Legend
That is not what my experience watching British cooking competitions told me.
There is essentially no risk of injury. It's a silly slapstick move. If the target was acting like a twat and deserved it there is little to find problematic about it. One player said something really dumb so his adversary...headbutted him in the chest! It's a comedy, not cause for apoplexy.
optic yellow
Legend
Where do you think those 70% Jordan voters are going if they are told he is no longer an option?
14OuncesStrung
Professional
Pat Rafter.
TimHenmanATG
Hall of Fame
Nah, mate. Even so England and France have shared a near 1000-year history of mutual antagonism, the average 21st-century British or French person doesn't care about this petty b*llocks.
''Violent Conduct'' is an automatic red card offence. I've seen players get sent off for a tiny ''headbutt'.
Zidane lost his composure here, and that's very unprofessional.
optic yellow
Legend
I would say their history of antagonism dates back to when Caesar used Gaul as a launching point for campaigns against the Britons.
He did lose his composure but there is a reason people don't think it is really a big deal.
TimHenmanATG
Hall of Fame
You simply can't defend this, mang:
This is bona fide ''violent conduct'', as per the laws of the game:
Marco Van Basten's retirement would be near the top of my list. He was one of the best, most technically complete and graceful players that I've ever seen, but unfortunately he played his final match at the age of just 28 (coming on as a late sub in the 1993 Champions League final), struggling with recurring ankle injury problems.
2 years or so later when he formally retired, acknowledging that he would never play again, he said his farewell to the Milan fans at the San Siro with even Capello being reduced to tears.
2 years or so later when he formally retired, acknowledging that he would never play again, he said his farewell to the Milan fans at the San Siro with even Capello being reduced to tears.
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