How many athletes stayed elite until they retired?

[Thrawn33]

Megatron was done regardless. He said he was going to retire after year 8 but his father talked him into playing one more year.

Didn't want to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, I can respect that, but dude was still elite when he bowed out.

Also disagree with using guys winning a 'ship in their final year on a team sport being an automatic "elite till the end"

Plenty of pro sports pick up old vets on the down slope both as backups and to mentor the young ones.

 

[haysus31]

George Foreman took a long break then came back and was top of his game. Starnge considering hos age

 

[TeTe]

Andrew Luck
Jim Brown
Patrick Willis

 

[TeTe]

Bobby Orr
Luke kuechly
Sandy Koufax

 

[TeTe]

Gsp got the hell out of there before he declined

I was going to say GSP... And khabib

 

[Batjester]

Bobby Orr
Luke kuechly
Sandy Koufax

Bobby wasn't in his prime when he retired. His knees were fucked.

 

[gspieler]

Depends on how you define "elite". Prime =\= elite. An ATG can be elite, despite being well past their prime.

 

[haysus31]

Forgot about Jim Brown. Left on his terms

 

[Rob Battisti]

Brady was not elite and neither was Jordan when they retired lmao

Both clearly declined

Brady wasn’t as good as he was in his prime but he definitely was a top tier QB in the league. He would have won at least 2 more super bowls if he went to the niners.

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

TJ Grant and Ricardo Arona

 

[therealdope]

Seb Coe (the runner). At the end of his career he ran 1:43 for the 800m. In 2023, the world's fastest time in the 800m was 1:42.8.

 

[iwannabeadored]

Brady wasn’t as good as he was in his prime but he definitely was a top tier QB in the league. He would have won at least 2 more super bowls if he went to the niners.

Not sure how you can objectively think that.


His championship season he throws 40 tds and the season after he threw 40. The last season his entire team was fucked. Multiple coaches said he still threw the ball as hard as ever.

 

[Rob Battisti]

Megatron was done regardless. He said he was going to retire after year 8 but his father talked him into playing one more year.

Best WR I’ve ever seen.

Not sure how you can objectively think that.


His championship season he throws 40 tds and the season after he threw 40. The last season his entire team was fucked. Multiple coaches said he still threw the ball as hard as ever.

I didn’t say he fell off a cliff. I was arguing that he was still elite. Idk if he was as good as he was in his prime but the difference was negligible.

 

[iwannabeadored]

Best WR I’ve ever seen.


I didn’t say he fell off a cliff. I was arguing that he was still elite. Idk if he was as good as he was in his prime but the difference was negligible.

I personally don’t think I’ve seen another athlete stay elite that long.

Most of the names that people are saying the athletes retired early by 30-32.

In American sports it’s pretty much Brady then Kareem and lebron.

Brady was legit the best qb in the league at 43. He had better numbers at 45 than some of his seasons in his 20s.

 

[Rob Battisti]

I personally don’t think I’ve seen another athlete stay elite that long.

Most of the names that people are saying the athletes retired early by 30-32.

In American sports it’s pretty much Brady then Kareem and lebron.

Brady was legit the best qb in the league at 43. He had better numbers at 45 than some of his seasons in his 20s.

100% agree. They should have given him MVP in his second to last year.

 

[blaseblase]

Khabib
GSP

 

[haysus31]

Come to think about it your right about guys sticking around and being elite into their 40s. All the guys I was thinking about retired early before their decline. I don't know anything about hockey but I think some players were good I to their 40s?

 

[ferrisjso]

Best WR I’ve ever seen.


I didn’t say he fell off a cliff. I was arguing that he was still elite. Idk if he was as good as he was in his prime but the difference was negligible.

A)I agree. The GOAT goes Baahh

B)The thing is Brady had 3 of his 5 best stat years in Tampa cause it was a passing offense. Even if Brady was physically worse the system compensated for that and made him look better. In Bradys last year the offense only struggled in the red zone. Brady and the Bucs got all the yards but could not score to save their lives for whatever reason.

 

[BAM]

Is it elite if you retire right before you fall off a cliff because you know you're never getting healthy again? If so, there are plenty of guys like that - ie Patrick Willis.

Ray Lewis was elite until the end, got a pro bowl in his last full season before retiring the following year after only playing six games. He missed most of the season with a torn tricep, returned in time for the superbowl and they won it.

Favre was close. He was injured and crap his last season, broke his start streak. But the year prior he had a great year.

Floyd Mayweather and Marciano qualify.

Elway went out with back to back superbowls and won the superbowl mvp in his last game ever.

I don't think it's that uncommon.

 

[FyrFytr998]

Sandy Koufax
Rob Gronkowski