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Going out on top is the dream of every athlete! Join us as we count down the most remarkable farewell performances by sporting legends. Our list celebrates those iconic athletes who saved their best for last, leaving an indelible mark on their sport before walking away forever. Which epic finale impressed you the most?
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00:00All year we said home ice would be a king, and it certainly was.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most remarkable final performances by athletes
00:09who are about to walk away from the sport forever.
00:12That just may be the sort of champagne toast to an extraordinary NFL Hall of Fame career.
00:18Number 10, Pete Sampras.
00:29Out of all the ways to bow out of your sporting career, getting one over on a huge rival is
00:34hard to beat.
00:34Add in some huge competitive stakes, and that's a near-perfect ending.
00:37When Pete Sampras got the better of Andre Agassi to win his 14th Grand Slam title and 5th U.S.
00:42Open crown, it was a huge moment.
00:44Pete Sampras, his 14th Grand Slam, how sweet it is.
00:49His legacy was already in the running for GOAT honors, and this monumental retirement statement sealed it.
00:54To this day, you'd be hard-pressed to find a top 10 all-time tennis player list without a mention
00:58for this giant of the game.
00:59This girl, I feel it's pure admiration for Sampras.
01:06Number 9, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
01:08Following the untimely death of his father and coach, Abdul Manap, UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov knew that his days
01:15in the sport were numbered.
01:16The general public had no idea that his UFC 254 clash with Justin Gaethje would be his final moments in
01:22the octagon.
01:23The eagle was as dominant as you would expect, fighting through some dangerous leg kicks to eventually manhandle the highlight
01:28on the ground.
01:28He nearly finished him at the end of round 1, and when round 2 came, Khabib would not be denied
01:32for much longer.
01:33Hearing him retire at a perfect 29-0 was shocking, but his legacy is one that will no doubt stand
01:38the test of time.
01:39Number 8, Florence Griffith Joyner.
01:41Well, after, let's say, 88, after I ran the 100 and 200, I felt I had reached my goals.
01:48Could I be motivated to continue to run the 1 and the 2?
01:51No, my heart was set on running the 400 meters in 1992, but I didn't.
01:57It's one thing to retire while you're the best in the world, but doing so just after literally revolutionizing the
02:02game, that's a different kind of flex.
02:03For Florence Griffith Joyner, she absolutely blew the competition out of the water at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
02:09By the time the dust had settled, she had claimed three gold medals.
02:12Her performances at the event were credited with setting new benchmarks.
02:16Her unparalleled results combined perfectly with a breakthrough approach to personal style and expression.
02:20She retired abruptly shortly after, leaving the game behind at age 29 to pursue other interests.
02:25Number 7, Bill Russell.
02:27There you see Bill Russell at the other end of the floor, taking advantage of the timeout to rest up
02:31a little bit for the closing moments.
02:33Russell also with five fouls.
02:35No athlete in basketball history has had the type of championship success that Bill Russell did.
02:40As the leader of a particularly dominant Boston Celtics team, Russell won a staggering 11 championship rings during his career.
02:47Given his knack for finding his way to the peak of the mountain, it should come as no surprise that
02:51his last pro appearance was Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals.
02:54Russell was the ultimate team player and was part of the team, inbred into the team, woven into the team
03:02more than anybody else that I've ever known ever in any sport whatsoever.
03:07With their fierce rivals, the LA Lakers in front of them, Russell, who was player coach at this point, fought
03:12off the mighty Wilt Chamberlain to win the game.
03:14His frankly insane consistency over his 13-year career will likely never be replicated.
03:19I told these guys before the game, I don't care what happens, I wouldn't trade you guys for any guys
03:24in the world.
03:25Number 6, Ray Bork.
03:27The excitement continues to build. There's a buzz in the air because this is the grand finale.
03:33If you're going to struggle through your entire career to try and finally win the Stanley Cup, you might as
03:37well make your eventual breakthrough as dramatic as can be.
03:39For Ray Bork, despite clearly being an elite player, his 21 seasons with the Boston Bruins didn't produce a single
03:44championship win.
03:45For most players, having a two-decade-plus run without gold might be enough for them to take the hint.
03:49It was pretty neat, the way I lived those last few days, Game 6 and 7, in terms of taking
03:55everything in because I knew that was it for me.
03:58However, Bork moved to the Colorado Avalanche and somehow played a key role in a 2001 Stanley Cup win.
04:03This, as it turned out, would be his final action as a pro.
04:06Out of all the ways to cap off a long career, this one will take some beating.
04:10And after 22 years, Raymond Bork!
04:16Number 5, Rocky Marciano.
04:18There's no doubt both fighters are tired. No doubt. And they should be.
04:24When it comes to legendary heavyweight goodbyes, Lennox Lewis certainly almost got our vote.
04:28The unbeaten icon, Rocky Marciano, took home the top spot in the end, though.
04:32Few fighters in the history of boxing have displayed the type of grit that Marciano did.
04:36He plied his trade for years before he got the recognition he deserved, and thankfully, he ended his career on
04:41his own terms.
04:41There was no long and ugly decline for this revered warrior.
04:44Marciano met the great Archie Moore in his 49th fight, suffering an early knockdown that nearly derailed everything.
04:50Rocky fought through it, though, eventually KOing Moore in round 9 before calling it quits at the peak of his
04:54powers.
04:55You see, when I first thought that I could get to the top of the heap in boxing, I not
05:01only wanted to be a good champion, but I wanted to become a worthy title holder.
05:06What's that? What sense do you mean?
05:07Well, I wanted to give anyone who deserved the chance in there to fight for the title a chance.
05:15Number 4, Ted Williams.
05:16It's the 8th inning, and he knew this was his last time at the plate.
05:21People realized they were suddenly seeing Ted Williams for the last time.
05:26If you asked Ted Williams to describe his ideal final statement on the baseball field, he'd have a hard time
05:30topping what actually happened in reality.
05:32In his last at-bat during the 8th inning, Williams hit a solo home run off Jack Fisher before leaving
05:37the game.
05:38It was the 521st of his career.
05:40Fisher throws the ball.
05:52After years of not making the gesture of tipping his hat to the Boston fans due to a distaste for
05:56their fickle nature, would Williams break his own rule to mark the occasion?
05:59As it turned out, no.
06:01He left the field with all the principles intact, not changing his attitude whether they were booing or cheering him.
06:06Number 3, John Elway.
06:08He gets up with a big smile on his face, and why not?
06:11His club is in front 30-6.
06:14Shout out to you, bud.
06:15Love you.
06:15Great job.
06:16Woo!
06:18As an athlete, when you're reaching the far end of your 30s, it's only natural that performance starts to drop
06:22off.
06:23That said, the really special ones know how to extend their shelf life by adapting their game.
06:27John Elway proved his caliber beyond any doubt at the age of 38 by leading the Denver Broncos to glory
06:32at Super Bowl XXXIII.
06:34Denver's first play after the missed field goal.
06:37Elway going deep, and he's got Rod Smith, and Smith's gone.
06:41He played a starring role on that night, showing elite passing and even scoring a rushing touchdown.
06:46It was just about as memorable a swan song as can be, and his retirement shortly after felt very well
06:51earned.
06:51This is hard.
06:52There's an over-under in the locker room from what I heard last night on how many times I'm going
06:58to cry.
07:00So I'm going to, I'm trying to bet on the under.
07:03Number two, Mark Spitz.
07:05They're going to call you chicken if you don't swim.
07:07You are the world record holder.
07:08And the premier Olympic swimming event is the 100 freestyle.
07:12So if somebody else wins the 100 free, they're going to be known as the fastest swimmer in the world.
07:16It's like the 100 dash in track and field.
07:18I mean, you're known as the fastest athlete.
07:19The vast, vast majority of athletes go through entire careers without having a fraction of the success that Mark Spitz
07:25had in his final Olympics appearance in 1972.
07:28Seven gold medals with seven new world records set in the process.
07:31That's a different level of dominance.
07:33His last actual race was the 4x100 meter medley relay, where he played a part in Team USA winning gold
07:38and setting a new record.
07:39After that, he decided to end his career, while barely in his athletic prime.
07:43Okay, sure, we're breaking our own rule because he did technically attempt to qualify for the 1992 team 20 years
07:48later.
07:48We'll make an exception, though, because realistically, his career was done and dusted by age 22.
07:53That last stroke was, it was 100% right up into that last stroke.
07:57I could hardly get out of the water.
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08:14Number 1. Kobe Bryant
08:22By the time the idea of retirement ever crossed the late, great Kobe Bryant's mind, his position as one of
08:27the finest players in history was already sealed.
08:29Though the Lakers were having an abysmal 2016 season, the final game they played that year will be remembered for
08:34all eternity.
08:35Bryant, at the age of 37, knew his race was run.
08:38Final minute 30. Bryant from 14. Has 53!
08:44Unbelievable stuff tonight!
08:46So in one unexpected masterclass, he scored 60 points on the Utah Jazz.
08:50Even by Bryant's usual standards, this was a tour de force, a fitting conclusion to one of basketball's greatest careers.
08:56His tragic death in 2020 makes this parting gift to the fans all the more powerful to revisit.
09:10But which legendary final performance stands out in your memory? Let us know in the comments section below.
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