Every athlete, no matter how great or how insignificant their professional careers in athletics (or semi-pro, or college, or high school), eventually gets to a point where he or she will ask themselves, "Damn, this is what it's come down to?" Injuries happen, bodies age, and the will to "shake it off" after enough hits, punches, or kicks absorbed just isn't there anymore. For some athletes, those symptoms sneak up on them, crippling careers where a second prime could've been possible.
We're all creatures of habit, and expecting a great professional athlete to walk away from the lifestyle they're accustomed to, whether their priorities lay on or off the field, is difficult. It's hard to walk away. But for athletes like Brett Favre, Mike Tyson, and Karl Malone—guys who've endured less-than-storybook endings to their careers—knowing when to hang it up would've saved them a whole heap of hurt. Along with Favre, Tyson, and Malone, see who else is included in The Most Disappointing Final Seasons in Recent Sports History.
Ron Artest
Year: 2014
Team: New York Knicks
Stats: 4.8 PTS, 2.0 REB, 0.6 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.3 BLK
The Knicks expected solid contribution from Metta World Peace in 2013 (sidebar: can we just call him Ron Artest now that he’s 1. Out of the NBA, and 2. Is now known as “Panda Friend?"). After averaging 12.4 PPG and 5 RPG for the Lakers the previous season, the Knicks needed World Peace to give them some physicality and rebounding from the perimeter.
He was released by February (the Knicks were 21-35 by then), making his time with the Knicks short, but apparently not short enough–a fan was able to scrap together more than two minutes of World Peace’s best plays as a Knick.