What sports legends did in their final games

The Babe finished his career with the Boston Braves on May 30, 1935, with a groundout. He retired as the greatest baseball player ever, showing incredible ability as a hitter and early in his career on the mound.

Bonds was hobbled in September 2007 due to a toe injury and started his final game on Sept. 26, going 0-for-3. He wanted to continue his career at age 43, but a bevy of legal issues due to steroids likely curbed interest for what was still a highly productive hitter with a 1.045 OPS in his final season.

Perhaps no pitcher had a more dominant five-year period than Koufax did from 1962 until his final season in 1966. His last start was a loss to the Orioles in the 1966 World Series on Oct. 6, allowing four runs — one earned — on six hits in six innings. Baltimore would go on to sweep the Dodgers.

Mantle's final game was forgettable on Sept. 28, 1968. Batting third, he made an out in his first at-bat before being removed from the game.

Martinez made only nine starts during his final regular season in 2009 with the Phillies but started three games for the team in the playoffs. His final start was Game 6 of the World Series vs. the Yankees, as the right-hander allowed four runs in four innings to take the loss. The Yankees walked off the field as World Series champs.

Mays finished his career with the Mets and was able to make a World Series run with them. The series vs. Oakland went seven games, but Mays' final appearance was in Game 3 on Oct. 16, 1973. He went 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter, and the A's went on to win the series.

Williams went out in style on Sept. 28, 1960. The outfielder went 1-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored, as the Red Sox came from behind to beat the Orioles 5-4.

Griffey finished his career where it started, in Seattle. He played just 33 games in 2010, his final season, and went 0-for-1 with a groundout as a pinch-hitter for catcher Rob Johnson in his final game on May 31.

Gehrig's career came to a sad end on April 30, 1939. He went 0-for-4 in his 2,130th consecutive game. He would make his infamous speech a few months later on July 4 and died of ALS just two years later.

DiMaggio went out with a bang on the Yankees, winning the World Series over the New York Giants in six games. Game 6 took place on Oct. 10, 1951, as DiMaggio went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored.

A-Rod returned from a season-long PEDs suspension to have an excellent 2015 season, but things didn't go nearly as well in 2016. His final game was on Aug. 12, 2016, and he went 1-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored before calling it a career.

After multiple retirements, MJ finally called it quits for good after playing for the Washington Wizards on April 16, 2003. He played 28 minutes, scoring 15 points with four assists and four rebounds.

It looked liked Magic's career was over after announcing he had HIV in 1991, but he made a short return with the Lakers in 1995-96. His final game came in a playoff loss at Houston on May 2, 1996, scoring eight points with five rebounds and five assists in a losing effort.

One of the greatest winners the NBA has ever seen appropriately went out a champion on May 5, 1969. The Celtics center never left the court during the seven-game series, scoring six points with 21 rebounds and six assists in his final game.

A three-time NBA champion, Bird fell short in his final season. The Celtics were ousted from the NBA Playoffs in the first round in 1992 by Cleveland. Bird made 6-of-9 shots in Game 4 on May 17, 1992, scoring 12 pounds with five rebounds and four assists. He would play in the Olympics for the Dream Team the following summer, but his NBA career was over.

The Lakers were swept by Detroit in the 1989 NBA Finals, Kareem's final playoff run. He scored just seven points with three rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes on June 13, 1989.

Wilt's Lakers lost the NBA Finals in five games to the Knicks. Chamberlain's best game of the series was also the final game of his career on May 10, 1973. He scored 23 points and had 21 rebounds for L.A. in the loss.

Robertson finished his career with Milwaukee and lost a tough seven-game series to the Celtics. Playing 46 minutes, Robertson scored six points and had 11 assists on May 12, 1974.

Kobe struggled with injuries in his final NBA season but had a memorable final game. His 60-point barrage came out of nowhere, shooting 22-of-50 in a 101-96 win over the Jazz at the Staples Center on April 13, 2016.

Duncan was slowed by injuries in his final season. However, he played well in the final game of his career in Game 6 of a hard-fought playoffs series vs. the Thunder on May 12, 2016. Duncan scored 19 points with five rebounds in 34 minutes played in a losing effort.

West played his final game on April 2, 1974, playing only 14 minutes with four points scored after returning from injury. He retired earlier than intended due to a contract dispute with the Lakers.

Montana played his final two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs fell short in the playoffs with a 27-17 Wild Card Round loss at Miami on New Year's Eve, 1994. Montana played well, completing 26-of-37 passes for 314 yards, two touchdowns and one pick.

Elway finished with a dominant 34-19 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII on Jan. 31, 1999. He won Super Bowl MVP after completing 18-of-29 passes for 336 yards and one touchdown pass, adding a touchdown on the ground.

Brown's career ended in a 23-12 NFL Championship loss to the Packers on Jan. 2, 1966. He had 12 carries for 50 yards and three receptions for 44 yards.

The Lions went 5-11 in 1998, but Sanders finished his career another great season, rushing for 1,491 yards. His final game came in Week 17 on Dec. 27, 1998, with 19 carries for 41 yards in a 19-10 loss at Baltimore. He shocked Lions fans when he announced his retirement in the offseason at age 30.

Smith played two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals to cap off his career. His final game was a Week 17 win vs. Tampa Bay on Jan. 2, 2005, finishing with 23 carries for 69 yards and two receptions for 13 yards. He retired as the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

Rice started his final season in Oakland but was traded to Seattle in mid-October of 2004. He started the Seahawks' lone playoff game that season on Jan. 8, 2005, but failed to record a catch in a 27-20 loss to the Rams. Rice signed with Denver the following season but retired when he learned that he'd likely be the fourth wideout, ending his career with nearly every receiving record. He's widely considered the greatest wide receiver to ever play.

Manning struggled in his final season in 2015 with the Broncos but went out on top due in large part to the team's outstanding defense. He won his second Super Bowl on Feb. 7, 2016, in a 24-10 win over Carolina, completing just 13-of-23 passes for 141 yards and one interception. Still, he went out on top, winning the Super Bowl in his final game just like John Elway.

Taylor's final NFL game was a blowout 44-3 loss to the 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round on Jan. 15, 1994. He failed to make a notable contribution in the defeat.

Unitas finished his storied career with the San Diego Chargers. He started the 1973 season 1-3 as a starter before he was replaced by rookie Dan Fouts. His final appearance came on Nov. 4, 1973, completing one pass for seven yards after coming off the bench in a 19-0 loss to the Chiefs.

White came out of retirement to play one last season for the Carolina Panthers in 2000. The Panthers finished their season with a 52-9 blowout loss to the Raiders on Dec. 24, 2000, and White recorded just one tackle.

Moss spent his final season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. The team fell just short in Super Bowl XLVII with a 34-31 loss to the Ravens. Moss has two receptions for 41 yards in the game on Feb. 3, 2013.

The Great One wrapped up his career in 1998-99 with the Rangers. It was an anticlimactic ending for Gretzky on April 18, 1999, as New York failed to make the playoffs, but Gretzky did have one assist in a losing effort vs. Pittsburgh. 

Lemieux played only 26 games in his final season with the Penguins in 2005-06. Pittsburgh struggled in a rebuilding year, and Lemieux concluded his career with one assist in an overtime loss against Buffalo on Dec. 16, 2005.

Orr's short but spectacular career concluded in 1978-79 with the Blackhawks. He played only six games in his final season due to knee issues. His final game was on Nov. 1, 1978, vs. Vancouver. Orr had three shots but failed to score.

After six seasons in the World Hockey Association from 1973-79, Howe finished his hockey career with one more triumphant season in the NHL with Hartford in 1979-80 at age 51. He appeared in three playoff games with the Whalers, and his final game took place on April 11, 1980, vs. Montreal. He had one shot in the game, and Hartford was swept by the Canadiens in the best-of-five series.

Roy was a four-time Stanley Cup winner, but his career concluded in disappointing fashion on April 22, 2003. Roy and the Avalanche led Minnesota 3-1 in a best-of-seven playoff series but lost the final three games of the series, including consecutive overtime games. Roy allowed all three goals in his final game.

Richard went out a winner with the Montreal Canadiens on April 14, 1960, sweeping the Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup. He had three points in the four-game series, including an assist in his final game.

Palmer's storied golf career concluded at the Masters Tournament in 2004. He shot 168 through the first two rounds, failing to make the cut on April 9, 2004.

Petty's final race was the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finishing in 35th place on Nov. 15, 1992.

While her singles tennis career had concluded, Navratilova continued to have success on the court in mixed doubles. She paired with Bob Bryan to win the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship on Sept. 10, 2006.

Graf cut short her second-round match vs. Amy Frazier at the 1999 TIG Classic on Aug. 3 due to a hamstring injury. She announced her retirement from professional tennis at age 30 shortly afterward.

Pele finished his soccer career with the New York Cosmos in 1977. After winning the 1977 NASL championship, Pele played his final game as a pro on Oct. 1, 1977, in an exhibition match vs. the Seattle Sounders.

Leslie's WNBA career concluded with the Los Angeles Sparks in a playoff loss to the Houston Comets. The team's final loss occurred on Aug. 30, 1999, in a 72-62 defeat.

Miller's storied college basketball career at USC concluded in the Women's NCAA Tournament title game on March 30, 1986. She scored 16 points in a loss to Texas.

Swoopes played her final WNBA season with the Tulsa Shock in 2011. She played 42 minutes in a loss to San Antonio but did scored 20 points with seven rebounds and four assists on Sept. 11, 2011.

Andretti's professional racing career concluded at the Toyota Grand Prix of Montrey at Paguna Sec Raceway. He finished in 19th place on Oct. 9, 1994.

Sampras won his 14th Grand Slam at the 2002 U.S. Open, defeating archrival Andre Agassi in four sets on Sept. 8, 2002. He announced his retirement one year later.

Agassi's final tournament was the 2006 U.S. Open. He advanced to the third round before losing to Benjamin Becker in four sets on Sept. 4, 2006.

Ali was just a shell of his former self in his last match on Dec. 11, 1981. He lost a 10-round decision to Trevor Berbick.