X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Time To Hang It Up: Five NBA Centers That Should Retire During The Offseason

Robin Lopez - NBA Injury News, Daily Fantasy Basketball, DFS Lineup Picks

These players have done a great job by hanging around for a long time, but maybe their time has come. Aidin Ebrahimi gives his opinion on the five centers that should retire after this year.

As the NBA landscape continues to evolve and young talent takes center stage, it's essential to reflect on the players who have defined an era and left an indelible mark on the game. While it is never easy to discuss retirement, there comes a time when even the best athletes must contemplate hanging up their jerseys.

In this article, we turn our attention to five NBA centers who have had illustrious careers but should seriously consider retirement before the upcoming 2023-24 season.

From injuries that have taken a toll on their performance to a decline in production simply due to age, these players face challenges that suggest the time might be right to bid farewell to the hardwood.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

#5. Taj Gibson (Washington Wizards)

It feels like Taj Gibson has been around forever, and it's true. Gibson is by far the oldest player on this list, as he'll turn 38 in June, but he's not the most experienced player here. Much of that is because Gibson started his NBA career at the age of 24, after spending three solid seasons with the USC Trojans.

At USC, he played with many future NBA players, like Nick Young, high school phenom O.J. Mayo, Nikola Vucevic, and DeMar DeRozan. As a first-round pick, he was expected to immediately contribute and he did, playing in all 82 games for the Bulls and putting up solid numbers. Gibson spent seven and a half seasons in Chicago, putting up fine stats, before moving to OKC and bouncing around the league.

 

OKC is where he had his most memorable moment, hitting a ridiculous shot from beyond half-court as time expired against the Portland Trail Blazers. Until that point, that was just the fourth three-pointer of his career. Gibson changed his playstyle, as he has drained 48 threes since then, and in the last two seasons, over 20% of his attempts from the field were threes. The problem is, that Gibson can barely see the floor now, as he has played in just 480 minutes this year, and 2,362 minutes in the past three seasons combined. With over 80 million in career earnings, Gibson can retire with a smile on his face, earning a lot of money after a long, decent career.

 

#4. Serge Ibaka (Free Agent)

Despite being drafted one year earlier than Gibson, Serge Ibaka is way younger, as he'll be turning 34 before the start of next season. But now, it seems like Ibaka's days in the NBA might be coming to an end. Ibaka was the final first-round pick in Seattle history, as the Sonics picked him 24th overall. After a stash year in Spain, Ibaka joined the team, now named the OKC Thunder. Ibaka was a dominant shot blocker right out of the gate, and he got even more dominant over time. He averaged an absurd 3.7 blocks per game in 2011-12, and 3.0 blocks in the next season. Since Ibaka entered the league (2009), he is the only player to have blocked over a thousand shots in their first six seasons.

For reference, Jaren Jackson Jr., who is the king of blocks in today's NBA, would need to reject 442 shots (or 5.4 a night in an 82-game season), to get to 1,000 rejections in his first six seasons. After a cup of coffee in Orlando, Ibaka played some of the best basketball of his career with the Raptors, winning an NBA championship with them in 2019. Ibaka has been looking to add another ring to his collection, as he bounced from the Clippers to the Bucks, but was traded to the Pacers in the Kevin Durant to Suns trade. He was waived by Indy, and the man who has blocked the 25th most shots in league history currently finds himself without a team. Having won a ring during a very memorable career, it might be time for Serge to say goodbye to the game.

 

#3. Robin Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks)

One of the best locker room guys in the league, Brook Lopez's younger twin brother (younger by one minute) has stuck around for quite a while. Lopez was never dominant but was a reliable role player. Lopez is 96th all-time in blocks and had a knack for grabbing offensive rebounds, as he's 80th all-time in offensive boards. Robin never had the stability that Brook had in his early days. Robin averaged just 14.4 minutes per game in his first four seasons in Phoenix, while Brook averaged 34.1 minutes a night in his first four seasons. In the six-season stretch from 2011-12 to 2016-17, Robin played for five different teams and has worn a different jersey every year in the last four seasons, which included a season of backing up his twin brother.

 

Maybe Robin never realized his full potential due to being moved around a lot, but he still had a solid career. From the ages of 24 to 29, Lopez averaged 10.8 points, 1.4 blocks, and 6.6 rebounds a night while just playing 27.9 minutes per game. Those days are long gone though. Now a member of the Cavs, Robin Lopez played just 299 minutes this year, and with a Plus/Minus Net per 100 Possessions of -16.2, it's pretty obvious that Lopez was used as a "Human Victory Cigar". A player who sees the floor once the game is done, AKA "Garbage Time". Lopez recently signed a free agent deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, which will reunite him with twin brother Brook. While the family affair might be fun, it could well be Robin's final destination in the NBA.

 

#2. Boban Marjanovic (Houston Rockets)

Boban has been proving doubters wrong long before he entered the NBA. After impressing on weaker teams, he joined Russian giants CSKA Moscow, but Boban was very disappointing. To give you an idea of how disappointing Boban was in Moscow, since the founding of the new Russian league in 2008, CSKA has dominated the league, winning the title in 10 of its first 11 seasons. Guess the one season where they didn't win? That's right, it was Boban's first and only year with the club. After that season, Boban joined Žalgiris, another European giant that was the first team of the legendary Arvydas Sabonis. Boban was poor once again and didn't get signed by a top EuroLeague team. It looked like he had blown his chance of ever playing in the NBA.

Boban refused to quit. He spent some years in the Serbian league, away from the bright lights of the EuroLeague to perfect his craft. After winning the Serbian league's MVP in 2013, Boban got another chance, as he was signed by Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade. Boban was good in his first year but was straight-up dominant in year two. He made the All-EuroLeague First Team, proving that he could hang with the big boys. Boban's NBA career has been pretty short (fewer career minutes than Mikal Bridges' minutes played this season), but he has been a fan favorite. His time might be coming to an end, but he completed his true mission, by proving his doubters wrong. Also, he can become a star in the movie industry one day.

 

#1. DeAndre Jordan (Denver Nuggets)

Marjanovic's teammate in 2017-18, DeAndre Jordan lived for two things. One was grabbing boards (14.1 rebounds per game from 2013-14 to 2018-19), and the other was dunking. In that same stretch, Jordan dunked the ball 1,356 times out of 1,510 dunk attempts, which was 47.8% of his shot attempts. It seems like his time has been up since the moment Chris Paul left him. In six seasons with CP3, Jordan averaged a Plus/Minus Net per 100 Possessions of +10.2, with a total of 26.9 Defensive Win Shares.

In the six seasons since CP3 was traded to Houston, Jordan has averaged a Plus/Minus Net per 100 Possessions of -5.8, with a total of 12.1 Defensive Win Shares. That -5.8 number is the reason why teams have been discouraged from playing Jordan for too many minutes. He has only averaged 18.4 minutes per game since 2019-20. The former All-NBA center gave us many highlights and has a good chance of adding a ring to his resume this season, but he has been quite useless without CP3, and now, it's time to hang it up.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
Austin Cindric

Remains an Overrated Road Racer
Brad Keselowski

Likely to Brush Past Chicago Street Course to Focus on Daytona
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek One of the Best Underdog Options After Strong Runs at Mexico City and Last Year
Cole Custer

Strong Mexico City Run and Xfinity Series Chicago Win Make Him a Solid DFS Option
Erik Jones

Likely Not Good Enough on Road Courses for DFS Consideration Despite Poor Qualifying Result
Noah Gragson

May Be Better Than Other Cheap DFS Options
Riley Herbst

Despite Decent Mexico City Run, Don't Expect Riley Herbst to Contend at Chicago
Cody Ware

Is a Road Course Veteran, but It's Rarely Helped Him in NASCAR
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Is The Heavy Favorite to Win at Chicago Street Course
Christopher Bell

Should Be Strong Despite Practice Struggles at Chicago Street Course
Chase Elliott

an Easy DFS Pick at Chicago Street Course
Chris Buescher

Should Be Strong at Chicago Street Course
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace a Solid DFS Target After Qualifying 37th at Chicago
Michael McDowell

Has Solid Saturday at Chicago Street Course
Will Brown

an Interesting Fantasy Option at Chicago Street Course
Justin Haley

Has Strong Record at Chicago Street Course
Todd Gilliland

Could Surprise at Chicago Street Course
Cam Ward

"Not Expecting" to be handed Starting Job
Chase Claypool

Eager to Get Back on the Field
Wyatt Langford

Activated, Playing on Saturday
Jay Huff

on the Move to Indiana
Cam Whitmore

Wizards Acquire Cam Whitmore from the Rockets
LaJohntay Wester

Stands out on Special Teams
Clarke Schmidt

Likely to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nolan Arenado

Scratched from Saturday's Lineup
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Starting on Saturday
Corbin Carroll

Activated from 10-Day Injured List
Cincinnati Bengals

Shemar Stewart, Bengals Continue Contract Talks, No Progress Made
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade may not Happen Until "August, September"
Ha-Seong Kim

Removed Early During Season Debut
ARI

Christian Fischer Retires From NHL at 28
NHL

Spencer Martin Moves to Russia
WAS

Anthony Beauvillier Re-Signs With Capitals for Two Years
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Houston Rockets

Jock Landale Waived by Rockets
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas Considering Returning to Europe
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Jabari Walker

Signs Two-Way Deal With Sixers
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Byron Young

Still Improving?
Cody Simon

Jonathan Gannon has Been Impressed With Cody Simon
SirVocea Dennis

has Impressive Offseason
Trevor Penning

Could Still Have a Role in New Orleans
Jonathan Kuminga

Warriors Decline Recent Offer for Jonathan Kuminga
Orlando Magic

Moritz Wagner, Magic Agree to One-Year Deal
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
José Soriano

Jose Soriano Throws Gem Against Braves
Robbie Ray

Earns Ninth Win in Complete Game
T.J. Watt

Likely to Reset the Edge-Rush Market
George Springer

Blasts Two Homers, Drives in Four
James Wood

Goes Yard in Five-Hit Night
Bradley Beal

Suns Discussing Potential Buyout
Los Angeles Lakers

Jaxson Hayes Staying with the Lakers
NBA

Damian Lillard "Open" to Signing With a Team This Offseason
Max Muncy

Out at Least Six Weeks
Clarke Schmidt

Leaves Start with Forearm Tightness
Colson Montgomery

Promoted to the Major Leagues
Pittsburgh Steelers

Omar Khan, Steelers Agree to Three-Year Contract
Max Muncy

Goes on Injured List With Knee Bruise
Max Muncy

Out of Thursday's Lineup
James Wood

Joining Home Run Derby
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
Max Scherzer

Cleared to Start on Saturday
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
Kodai Senga

Could be "in Play" to Return Before All-Star Break
Chau Smith-Wade

Having Stellar Offseason
Ace Bailey

Inks Rookie Contract With Jazz
Divine Deablo

Could be the Quarterback of the Defense
Isaiah Rodgers

a Likely Starter for the Vikings
Jacob Monk

Sees Plenty of Work With Starters
Avonte Maddox

has Impressed Dan Campbell
Boston Celtics

Josh Minott Inks Deal With Celtics
Chicago Bears

Ruben Hyppolite Shows Notable Improvement
Sandro Mamukelashvili

Heading to Toronto
Jared McCain

Not on 76ers Summer League Roster
Dylan Harper

Unavailable for California Classic
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
Cleveland Cavaliers

Larry Nance Jr. Headed Back to Cavaliers
Eric Gordon

Remaining with 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers

Deandre Ayton Joining Lakers
Emil Heineman

Signs Two-Year Deal with Islanders
Simon Holmstrom

Re-Signs with Islanders for Two Years
UTA

Nate Schmidt Signs Three-Year Deal with Mammoth
UTA

Brandon Tanev Moves to Utah on Three-Year Contract
NJ

Evgenii Dadonov Joins Devils on One-Year Deal
BUF

Sabres Snap Up Alex Lyon on Two-Year Contract
Dallas Mavericks

Dante Exum Returning to Dallas
Ryan McLeod

Inks Four-Year Extension with Sabres
NAS

Predators Bring in Nick Perbix on Two-Year Deal
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Has Surgery to Repair a Turf Toe Injury
LA

Cody Ceci Moves to Los Angeles
Bud Cauley

in Great Form Ahead of John Deere Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

a Player to Avoid at John Deere Classic
Jake Knapp

Riding Momentum Ahead of John Deere Classic
PGA

Sungjae Im Looking for Consistency at John Deere Classic
Ryan Gerard

a Solid Option at John Deere Classic
Rickie Fowler

Looking to Rebound at John Deere Classic
Cameron Champ

a Volatile Option at John Deere Classic
Jackson Suber

Staying Below 70 is Key to Success for Jackson Suber
Kevin Roy

Playing Better Heading into John Deere Classic
Justin Lower

Hoping for Something Positive in Illinois
Ben Kohles

a Long Shot at John Deere Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Attempts to Stop Roller-Coaster Ride
Beau Hossler

Needs a Challenge in Illinois
Harry Higgs

Has Potential at John Deere Classic
Nick Dunlap

Keeps Plugging Through Tough 2025 Season
Kevin Yu

a Near Must-Play at TPC Deere Run
PGA

J.T. Poston Returns to John Deere Classic Looking for Another High Finish
Thriston Lawrence

a Decent Fit For John Deere Classic
Tom Kim

Not Finding Much to be Happy About Ahead of John Deere Classic
Si Woo Kim

is a Prohibitive Fade at John Deere Classic
Ben Griffin

is the Appropriate Favorite at TPC Deere Run
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF