During the 2010-2011 season, Brandon Roy, who played for the Oregon Trail Blazers, began to have severe knee problems. He was told that permanent damage would result if he continued to play. He was forced to retire. After doing therapy and working hard to stay in shape, he is attempting to return to his sport. On Thursday, July 5, 2012, it was announced that Roy had a verbal agreement to join the Minnesota Timberwolves. Though this is not an unheard of phenomenon in sports, it seems almost common for NBA players. Generally, the idea of an attempted comeback doesn't get very far, but occasionally, an NBA player will hit the court once again. Here is a look at four other NBA players that went back on the court.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan, one of the legends of the NBA, first retired in 1993. He would make his first comeback in early 1995. Though he may not have played as well as he had in his prime, he still managed to post some impressive numbers until his second retirement in 1999. In 2001, he would once again be on the court, this time for a team he had worked behind the scenes for, the Washington Wizards. This time, he was again not playing as well as he once had and found himself disappointed with those around him. He retired one final time in 2003.
Greg Ostertag
Greg Ostertag had been with the NBA for 11 seasons when he retired at the end of the 2005-2006 season. In 2011, he began a brief comeback. This time, he started his comeback in the minor leagues for the Texas Legends. He did not play much before he began to notice that his knees were not holding up like they used to. After just a few games, he once again retired in early 2012.
Jonathan Bender
Jonathan Bender first joined the NBA for the 1999-2000 season. After experiencing knee problems, he was forced to leave the sport in 2005. Four years later, he signed a contract with the New York Knicks to play in the 2009-2010 season. His comeback lasted for most of the season but his injured knee forced him to once again retire in 2010.
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson is another legend of the NBA. In 1991, after 13 years in the NBA, Johnson announced that he would be retiring from the sport because he had been diagnosed with HIV. He continued to play a few games, but for the most part, this was the end of his career. In the 1995-1996 season, however, he was once again on the court playing in some games for the LA Lakers. After this season ended, he entered retirement again.
Though Kristin Watt is not a fan of all sports, she does follow the news on most sports religiously. Major news events in sport do tend to ripple out to others and she makes sure that she never misses the big stories.
