NBA Stars Final Games & Points Before Switching Teams

SHAQ & Chuck HEATED Over Giannis’ Altercation with Haliburton’s Dad 😳🗣️

If the Bucks' 1-point loss to the Pacers in Game 5 turns out to be Giannis' final game with the franchise, it will be one of the greatest final games by a player before taking their talents to another team.

He had 30 points, 20 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Those numbers made him just the fourth player in NBA history to record a 30/20/10 game in the Playoffs. The other three names are Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Nikola Jokic.

The postgame images of Giannis palming Bennedict Mathurin's head and getting into Tyrese Haliburton's father's face overshadowed those historic numbers. But that incident led to another memorable postgame speech that had people praising his thoughts more than his performance.

• Greg Anthony: "This young man is a treasure, thankful he represents our game."
• David Aldridge: "Giannis may be the best answerer of postgame questions of any player I've ever heard. Thoughtful, thorough, real."
• Justin Termine: "I interviewed Giannis the night he was drafted, and his English was so poor that the interview was barely usable. Now fast forward a decade later, and he gives thoughtful answers like this... which you wouldn't expect from most, even in their first language."
• Ryen Russillo: "Plays harder than anyone, even down 3-1 (with no chance in the series) and then gives this great answer on why he was upset after the loss."

POSTGAME SPEECH EXCERPT

"I believe in being humble in victory. That’s the way I am. There’s a lot of people out there that can say, No. When you win, you gotta talk s*** and it's a green light for you to be disrespectful towards somebody else. I disagree. I have won a championship. They haven’t. That doesn't say anything. I'm not trying to minimize their effort, but I remember when I won. My mom, she's never missed a game when she came to Milwaukee. When we won a championship, I remember my mom was scared to cross. She was like, "Am I allowed to come and hug my son?'"

And here are some reminders of why Bucks fans should want to hug Giannis and regret missing any of the 943 games they were lucky enough to have with the Greek Freak.

​​

Legendz Casino

4.2/5

Lock in NBA Picks at Legendz 🏀

• Social Sportsbook + Slots
• Hundreds of Vegas-style slots
• Live dealer casino games

Sign up for 3 SC + 500 Gold Coins FREE and 50% extra on your First Purchase!

Open Legendz Casino

THE RESUME

• Franchise leader in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, double-doubles, triple-doubles, games, minutes, field goals, free throws, and playoff wins (second in steals and seventh in threes)
• Three of the top four highest-scoring games in franchise history: 64, 59, 55 (Michael Redd scored 57)
• Third Bucks player to ever win Defensive Player of The Year (Sid The Squid and Bobby Simmons are the other two)
• First player in NBA history to record 35+ points, 20+ assists, 15+ rebounds in a single game
• Helped the Bucks win their second NBA Championship. The Finals MVP averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5 assists during the series and capped it off with one of the greatest NBA Finals performances: 50 points (64% shooting), 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks
• Out of the 10 members of the NBA75 team that made a stop in Milwaukee, Giannis is the only one who made the team while only playing for the Bucks

And Bucks fans got all this from a player selected between Shabazz Muhammad and Lucas Nogueira with the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft—a draft where 10 of the top 14 picks are already out of the league.

On top of all of those accolades, there was the humor and humility. He used to also start every season by telling a Dad joke on media day.

Why did the Orange lose the race? He ran out of juice.

In one of my favorite Giannis videos, he's walking around practice while delivering these lines with a smile.

I've seen it all. I've airballed shots, game 7. I've airballed back-to-back free throws in Oklahoma. I've been down here, Only way is up now! I've missed 8 in a row. I've done it all, man. I've been dunked on. I've been crossed over. I've been all over the place.

And we shall soon see if there's a new place for him to do all these things.

In the meantime, let's look back at the final games of some other great players before they switched teams.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trade To Lakers (1975)

KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR

• TEAM: MILWAUKEE BUCKS
• DATE: April 6th, 1975
• STATS: 34 PTS, 10 REB, 5 BLK, 4 AST (67% FG)
• FINAL POINTS: N/A

When you think of Kareem, you think of winning. If you consider high school (2 national championships), college (3 championships in 3 years), and NBA (6 championships), he's arguably the greatest winner in basketball history.

In the middle of all that winning was the 1974-75 season with the Bucks. It started with him missing 16 games with a broken hand after punching a backboard stanchion. He then had to wear goggles because of a corneal abrasion caused by Don Nelson's finger. With a month left in the season that saw the Bucks miss the Playoffs and finish with a division-worst 38-44 record, he requested a trade to either the Lakers or the Knicks (his preference).

His final game of the season was a loss in Milwaukee to the Bulls. He played a game-high 45 minutes and finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 assists.

WHERE DID HE END UP?

On June 16th, 1975, the Bucks sent the 3 x MVP to the Lakers for Brian Winters, Elmore Smith, Junior Bridgeman, and David Meyers. The Knicks reportedly made a low-ball offer.

Michael Jordan’s Revenge On Shaq and Penny | 1996 ECF Game 4

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL

• TEAM: ORLANDO MAGIC
• DATE: May 27th, 1996
• STATS: 28 PTS, 9 REB, 3 BLK (85% FG)
• FINAL POINTS: Jump hook over Luc Longley and Toni Kukoc

This one from the list hurt me the most. Like every Orlando Magic fan in the early to mid-90s, we believed the Shaq and Penny era was ready to take over the NBA. Even when Michael Jordan came back from baseball, we still believed it. Why? Because that Magic team was the only team to beat a '90s' Michael Jordan team in the Playoffs.

Not only did the Magic beat Michael Jordan. They insulted him. After Nick Anderson's famous steal from MJ at the end of Game 1, Nick said, "No. 45 doesn't explode like 23 used to. 45 is not 23. I couldn't have done that to No. 23."

MJ switched back to his No. 23 jersey for the rest of the series, even though the league fined the Bulls $100,000 for allowing him to do it and $25,000 for every game he wore 23. MJ had 38, 40, 26, and 39 in his next four games. His payback would have to wait until the following Playoffs.

The Magic cruised through the first two rounds of the 1996 Playoffs and then got swept by the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. Shaq dominated with 28 points on 85% shooting, but MJ shot 70% and intentionally missed his final free throw so he would finish the game with exactly 45 points.

O'Neal was so upset about being swept for the third consecutive time that he went straight to the showers without shaking hands with the eventual NBA Champs.

WHERE DID HE END UP?

On July 16th that summer, a local Orlando newspaper poll asked readers if Shaq was worth $115 million. 91.3% of callers said No. Shaq signed a 7-year, $121 million deal with the Lakers two days later.

It was such a surprise that Penny Hardaway didn't even know about it until a reporter asked Shaq about it during a press conference at the Olympics.

End Of An Era - Hakeem Olajuwon's Last Game As A Houston Rocket! 2001

HAKEEM OLAJUWON

• TEAM: HOUSTON ROCKETS
• DATE: April 17th, 2001
• STATS: 24 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST (75% FG)
• FINAL POINTS: Free Throw

Before Jokic came along, Hakeem The Dream had the unofficial title of "most skilled center" in NBA history. And for 17 seasons, Rockets fans got to cheer for the two-time champion and assumed they would see him end his career in Houston. But things got messy in that 17th season. So messy, that he reportedly asked to be cut and told a Florida newspaper that he would like to play for Pat Riley in Miami.

"That's my goal, really, to get to play with the Heat this year. It's supposed to be confidential, but the idea is to play there."

With five games remaining in the disappointing season, Dream put up just 8 points against the Jazz and then sat out the following three. He suited up for the final game and had an impressive 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting with 9 boards, and 6 assists in just 27 minutes. He only played 27 because the team won by 27.

WHERE DID HE END UP?

On August 13th, 2001, after Hakeem declined a 3-year offer from the Rockets, the franchise granted his wish for a trade and sent him to Toronto for future draft picks. Dream was so excited he said, "I feel like a rookie again. It's a new opportunity to establish myself... Toronto realized I have value to their organization. This is a team that has a chance of winning an NBA championship."

The honeymoon didn't last long. Dream announced his retirement after averaging career lows in points and rebounds for 61 games (24 as a 6th Man).

Kawhi Leonard - Game 6 - 2019 NBA Finals - Raptors vs Warriors - 22 Pts, 6 Rebs

KAWHI LEONARD

• TEAM: TORONTO RAPTORS
• DATE: June 13th, 2019
• STATS: 22 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 1 CHAMPIONSHIP
• LAST POINTS: The final 3 free throws of the game

I can't think of a better way of ending your final game with a team than with an NBA Finals trophy in one hand and a Championship trophy in the other (Actually, there is one better at the end of this post). That Finals trophy made him just the second player (along with Kareem and LeBron) in NBA history to win it with two different teams.

Kawhi deserved that Finals trophy, but it was a total team effort in the Championship game. He had 22 points (his lowest-scoring game in the Finals), Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry had team highs of 26, and Fred VanVleet came off the bench and scored 12 of his 22 in the final quarter.

Despite "only" scoring 22, he still had the third-highest scoring total (732 points) for a single NBA Playoff run. Only LeBron's 748 and Michael Jordan's 759 were higher.

WHERE DID HE END UP?

Less than a month after Kawhi wore a "Board Man Gets Paid" shirt during the Raptors Championship parade, he took his talents back to his hometown by signing a 3-year, $103 million deal with the Clippers.

1976 ABA Finals Game 6 Denver Nuggets at New York Nets Thursday May 13, 1976

JULIUS ERVING

• TEAM: New York Nets
• DATE: May 13th, 1975
• STATS: 31 PTS, 19 REB, 5 AST, 5 STL, 4 BLK, 1 CHAMPIONSHIP
• FINAL POINTS: Free throw

It's not an NBA Championship, but Dr. J's Championship-winning performance in the final game of the ABA league deserves recognition. He had 31 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 4 blocks in the win against David "Skywalker" Thompson (42 points) and the Nuggets. And for that performance, the league handed him the same Championship trophy they handed him two years earlier because someone stole the new trophy. Yeah, that incident was the perfect way to end the wild league that the ABA was.

WHERE DID HE END UP?

On October 20th, 1976, the Knicks had a chance to buy Dr. J's contract from the Nets, but they declined the offer just like they had declined Kareem a year earlier. The Sixers took the $3 million deal, and Erving took them to the NBA Finals in his first year.

Damian Lillard's Last Game with the Blazers

DAME LILLARD

• TEAM: TRAILBLAZERS
• DATE: March 23rd, 2023
• STATS: 30 PTS, 12 AST, 7 REB (42% FG)
• FINAL POINTS: An ankle-breaking three over Kris Dunn

I bet you weren't expecting to see Damian Lillard on this list. He was voted onto the NBA 75 team and had an interesting final game with a franchise.

On March 23rd, 2023, Dame dropped 30 points, 12 assists, and 7 boards to help the Blazers end a 6-game losing streak. The Blazers then shut him down for the remaining 10 games of their disappointing season. They lost 9 of those 10.

WHERE DID HE END UP?

On September 27th, 2023, the Blazers shipped their franchise leader in threes to the Bucks for a package that included Deandre Ayton and Toumani Camara. Despite flashes of brilliance, the duo of Giannis and Dame failed to get out of the first round of the Playoffs for the past two seasons. Dame also tore his Achilles in this year's Playoffs.

Final 5:25 ICONIC GAME 5 ENDING Thunder vs Trail Blazers | April 23, 2019

RUSSELL WESTBROOK

• TEAM: THUNDER
• DATE: April 23rd, 2019
• STATS: 29 PTS, 14 AST, 12 REB, 4 STL (36% FG)
• LAST POINTS: A three pointer!

After knocking down a 37-foot "bad shot" that was a series-clinching game-winner in Game 5 of the first round of the 2019 Playoffs, Damian Lillard waived goodbye to the Thunder. Little did Thunder fans know Russell Westbrook would be waiving goodbye soon after.

His last game with OKC sums up the Westbrook experience. He had an impressive-sounding triple-double (29/14/12) at the end of his third triple-double-averaging season. Russ also missed 20 of his 31 shots, including three in a row before Dame gave the Thunder their third consecutive first-round exit.

WHERE DID HE END UP?

On July 16th, 2019, Russ was traded to the Rockets to reunite with former teammate James Harden, who was just as happy to see Chris Paul leave town. The reunion only lasted 57 games. Russ was then traded to the Wizards for John Wall and has been on six teams in the last six years.

Dwight Howard Last Game as a Magic Highlights vs. 76ers (04/07/12)

DWIGHT HOWARD

• TEAM: MAGIC
• DATE: April 7th, 2012
• STATS: 20 PTS, 22 REB, 6 AST, 2 BLK (29% FG)
• LAST POINTS: A jump hook

Another player who started his career with almost a decade of accolades before becoming a journeyman is Dwight Howard. The Hall of Famer and recent BIG3 signee played his first 8 seasons in Orlando, where he was an MVP runner-up and NBA Finalist. He then played for six teams over his final 10 seasons, including three stops with the Lakers.

When I think of stories from the early days of Twitter that would "break the internet" today, Dwight's final days with the Magic are one of them.

December 2011: Howard requests trade

April 5th, 2012: Stan Van Gundy is talking to the media about Dwight Howard's request to management to have him fired. Dwight then interrupts the interview, puts his arm around SVG, and creates one of the most awkward player/coach moments in the history of the NBA.

"That was literally the worst day of my life." Howard told ESPN's THE JUMP. "We had a game that night and that was the worst game I ever played. Like, I could not hit the basket for nothing."

He's exaggerating a bit. He made half of his shots but only attempted 8 and finished with just 8 points.

April 7th, 2012: Howard bounces back with a monster double-double: 20 points and 22 rebounds in a win against the Sixers. He only made 4 of 14 shots, so he might be confusing his shooting in this game with the previous one. Regardless, it was his last makes-and-misses while wearing the Orlando Stripes.

April 9th, 2012: Sits out the game with a back injury

April 19th, 2012: His agent said he would miss the remainder of the season to undergo surgery.

WHERE DID HE END UP?

After multiple requests for a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, Howard ended up in LA and on the cover of Sports Illustrated with Steve Nash and a headline that said, "Now This Is Going To Be Fun." It was not.

Wilt’s Last Game With The 76ers (VERY RARE FOOTAGE)

WILT CHAMBERLAIN

• TEAM: Sixers
• DATE: April 19th, 1968
• STATS: 14 PTS, 34 REB, 5 AST
• LAST POINTS: N/A

Look at that! We have footage of Wilt's last game with the Sixers but not his 100-point game. And that's because his final game was Game 7 of the Eastern Divisional Finals against the Celtics and his rival, Bill Russell. And the footage is still considered "very rare."

The most significant piece of trivia about this game was the Sixers became the first team to ever blow a 3-1 lead in the Playoffs. Wilt's stat line of 14 points, 34 rebounds, and 13 blocks (according to Wilt) in 48 minutes (while being "injured") sounds great until you hear he only attempted one shot in the second half! He later blamed his coach for the lack of touches, but how does the "most dominant player in the game" play every second of it and only attempt one single shot? Even Kobe Bryant attempted three shots in the second half of the Lakers' Game 7 loss to the Suns.

WHERE DID HE END UP?

The Big Dipper ended up on the only team he was willing to play for: the Lakers. On July 9th, 1968, the Sixers granted his wish and sent him to LA for Archie Clark, Darrall Imhoff, and Jerry Chambers. Four years later, Wilt won his one and only Finals MVP.

Young LeBron james last Game as a Cavalier！2010 ECF Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics G6

LEBRON JAMES

• TEAM: CAVS
• DATE: May 13th, 2010
• STATS: 27 PTS, 19 REB, 10 AST, 9 TO (38% FG)
• LAST POINTS: A dunk

LeBron playing Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer in San Antonio on the day the Spurs killed the Heatles in the 2014 NBA Finals is a great story. But I prefer Bron's final game before The Decision.

On May 13th, 2010, the Celtics upset the Cavs during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. If you are young, you probably think it wasn't an "upset." But in 2010, every major media writer picked the 61-win Cavs to beat the Celtics. Some even had the Cavs and their 25-year-old MVP sweeping the Celtics.

Kevin Garnett talking to Bill Simmons about LeBron and the series:

"We broke LeBron, so get your a** out of here with that."

"You understand how he got to Miami, Bill? You remember that? They were talking s*** to him; the media and the league knew they had an agenda that we weren't a part of, and that's how they ended up winning that series. Man, listen, we didn't give a f*** about LeBron. We didn't fear LeBron, and we didn't think he could beat all five of us, and that's how it felt."

LeBron did everything he could and finished with game-highs of 27 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists, but he missed 13 of his 21 shots and turned the ball over 9 times!

WHERE DID HE END UP?

On July 8th, 2010, LeBron sat down with Jim Gray for 75 minutes on ESPN and announced that he was taking his talents to South Beach. The infamous event was hated by many, including David Stern, but it did raise $2.5 million for charity.

Michael Jordan last 3 minutes in his FINAL BULLS GAME vs Jazz (1998)

MICHAEL JORDAN

• TEAM: DA BULLS
• DATE: June 14th, 1998
• STATS: 45 PTS, 1 Championship
• LAST POINTS: The game winner

The winner of the greatest and most memorable final game before switching franchises goes to who else but Michael Jordan.

Down by one with eight seconds left in regulation of Game 5 of the 1998 NBA Finals, MJ got away with the most infamous push in NBA history and then knocked down a game-winning jumper over the sliding body of Bryon Russell. After a final miss by John Stockton, MJ celebrated by putting up six fingers in the air and then hugging his teammates and Phil Jackson, as Bob Costas says, "perhaps for the last time."

He was right.

MJ retired for a second time after this game. And we all thought that scoring over half of your team's points and knocking down a game-winner to win a second three-peat has to be the greatest ending to a career.

It was the greatest ending of a career until 2001.

WHERE DID HE END UP?

For 1 hour and 46 minutes, the top story on September 11th, 2001, was 38-year-old Michael Jordan was coming out of his second retirement to join the Washington Wizards. Then at 8:46 AM, the 9/11 attacks happened.

Most people aren't fond of MJ's two seasons with the Wizards, but he did some impressive things besides donating his entire salary with the Wizards to 9/11 relief efforts. At age 38, he had a 50-point game with a 24-point quarter. At age 40, he had a 43-point double-double and averaged 22 points and 7 rebounds while playing 39.9 minutes per game. He also played all 82 games in his final season and

MORE LAST POINTS BEFORE SWITCHING TEAMS

Thanks to YouTuber Golden Hoops for putting together this compilation videos of players' last points before switching teams.

NBA Superstars LAST POINTS Before Switching Teams (LeBron, KD, Irving)