Heartbreaking! 4 NBA Stars Who Had a Tragic Downfall—One Even Got Publicly Humiliated During His Farewell Tour   

They say "Don't mock the legends on their way down," but not everyone follows that wisdom. In the NBA, many superstars face relentless ridicule once their prime fades—not just from fans, but even from the media, who love to twist the knife.  

Take Kevin Durant this season—he’s still averaging 26.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 4.2 APG, yet the Suns’ struggles have made him the scapegoat. Critics claim Phoenix won’t thrive until he’s gone, and with trade rumors swirling, fans are already joking about which team he’ll "destroy" next.  

But Durant’s situation is nothing compared to these four legends, whose career endings were downright tragic. They faced humiliation not just from fans and media, but even from within the league. Here’s their story.  

 4. Paul Pierce – The Farewell Tour That Backfired  

A lifelong Lakers fan drafted by their archrival Celtics, Pierce became Boston’s heart and soul. At his peak, he was an unstoppable scorer, the go-to clutch player even alongside KG and Ray Allen. His 2008 Finals MVP cemented his legacy.  

But when Boston rebuilt, Pierce was shipped to Brooklyn. After stints in Washington and LA, he planned a Kobe-style farewell tour in 2017—only to get brutally shut down by Draymond Green: "Fans don’t love you like that. You think you’re Kobe?" The Celtics later gave him a one-day contract to retire in green, saving some dignity.  

 3. Dwight Howard – From Superman to Scapegoat  

In Orlando, Howard was a 3x DPOY, 5x All-NBA beast, carrying the Magic to the 2009 Finals. But after messy exits in LA and Houston, he became a journeyman, labeled a locker-room cancer.  

His 2020 Lakers redemption (as a humble role player) earned him a ring—but a 2021 feud with Anthony Davis got him benched. His NBA career ended in silence, a far cry from his superstar days.  

 2. Carmelo Anthony – The Unfair Fall of a Scoring King  

Once neck-and-neck with LeBron, ‘Melo was a 10x All-Star, scoring champ, and Olympic legend. But after leaving New York in 2017, his career nosedived.  

The Rockets blamed him for their failures (despite him being a minimum-contract role player), nearly forcing him into early retirement. Portland revived him, and his Lakers stint (alongside LeBron and AD) was solid—but the team’s collapse left him ringless. He retired with no proper send-off, his legacy overshadowed by unfair criticism.  

 1. Russell Westbrook – The Fall of Mr. Triple-Double  

Before 2018, Westbrook was MVP Russ—averaging 30-point triple-doubles, dragging OKC to the playoffs single-handedly. But after three straight first-round exits, he bounced from Houston to Washington, still putting up numbers—until LA broke him.  

The Lakers experiment turned him into a league-wide joke. Even after joining the Clippers and now Denver, he’s stuck in first-round purgatory. Once an unstoppable force, he’s now fighting for relevance on a minimum deal.  

 The Harsh Truth  

The NBA chews up legends when they decline. For these four, the endings were far uglier than they deserved. Will today’s stars avoid the same fate? Only time will tell.  

Which fallen star’s story hit you hardest? Drop your thoughts below! NBA Legends BasketballTragedy