Athletes Who Almost Quit Before Making It

Michael Phelps sat in his bedroom in 2012, staring at nothing, thinking about ending his life. He’d just won four golds and two silvers at the London Olympics. He was the most decorated Olympian in history. And he didn’t want to be alive anymore.

This is what success looks like sometimes. Not the podium. Not the endorsements. Not the millions of people screaming your name. Sometimes it’s a dark room and a question you can’t answer: “What’s the point?”

Phelps isn’t alone. Behind every highlight reel are moments where athletes who almost quit stood at the edge of giving up. Some faced injuries that seemed insurmountable. Others battled depression so severe they couldn’t get out of bed. A few were told they’d never make it and almost believed it.

Michael Phelps Contemplated Suicide After London 2012

Phelps had everything. Twenty-two Olympic medals. Global fame. Wealth beyond measure. And none of it mattered when the depression hit.

After London 2012, Phelps spiraled. He stopped leaving his house. He sat in his room for days, barely eating, not talking to anyone. He’d accomplished everything a swimmer could accomplish, and it felt like there was nothing left. The depression wasn’t new. He’d battled it for years, but this time was different. This time, he genuinely considered suicide.

“I didn’t want to be alive,” Phelps told CNN years later. “I felt like I was a burden to everybody around me and the world would just be better off without me.” [EXTERNAL LINK: CNN interview with Michael Phelps on depression and suicide contemplation]

What saved him? Rehab. Therapy. And finally admitting that being the greatest swimmer in history didn’t make him immune to mental illness. Phelps checked himself into a treatment facility in 2014. He started therapy. He learned that asking for help wasn’t weakness.

Phelps came out of retirement in 2016 and won five more golds in Rio. But his real victory was staying alive long enough to get there. He’s now one of the most vocal advocates for athlete mental health, openly discussing his struggles to help others who are fighting the same battles. [INTERNAL LINK: Article 14 – Athlete Pregame Rituals: “Mental preparation rituals help athletes cope with pressure, but sometimes the pressure becomes too much”]

The greatest Olympian of all time almost quit life. That’s the reality behind the medals.

Simone Biles Almost Walked Away From Gymnastics Forever

Simone Biles should have quit before Tokyo 2020. She’s said it herself. After years of abuse by USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, after testifying before Congress about how the system failed her, [EXTERNAL LINK: Biles Senate testimony on FBI’s handling of Larry Nassar investigation] after carrying the weight of an entire sport on her shoulders, she should have walked away.

But she didn’t. She showed up to Tokyo as the most decorated gymnast in history, expected to dominate. Then, in the middle of the team finals, something broke. Biles withdrew from the competition, citing mental health and the “twisties,” a terrifying mental block where gymnasts lose spatial awareness mid-air.

The backlash was immediate. She was called a quitter. People said she let her team down. The criticism was vicious, especially from those who’ve never experienced the pressure of performing in front of billions while battling trauma.

Biles didn’t quit gymnastics in Tokyo. She quit sacrificing her mental health for people’s expectations. She later told reporters she should have walked away years earlier, but felt obligated to keep going. The sport had taken so much from her. The abuse. The pressure. The constant demand to be perfect. [INTERNAL LINK: Article 13 – Athletes Overcome Early Injuries: “Like athletes who recover from devastating physical injuries, mental recovery requires stepping back to heal”]

After Tokyo, Biles took two years off. She went to therapy. She worked through the trauma. She rediscovered why she loved gymnastics in the first place. Then she came back for Paris 2024 and won three golds and a silver, cementing her legacy not just as a champion, but as someone who chose herself first.

Athletes who almost quit because the cost became too high often inspire us more than those who never wavered. Biles showed an entire generation that it’s okay to step back, even when the world is watching.

The Athletes Who Almost Quit Because No One Believed in Them

Kurt Warner stocked shelves at a grocery store for $5.50 an hour in 1994. He’d been cut from the Green Bay Packers training camp. No NFL team wanted him. He applied to work at Hy-Vee because he needed money and football seemed over.

Warner almost quit. Why keep chasing a dream nobody believed in? But he didn’t. He played Arena Football. He went to NFL Europe. He kept grinding when it would’ve been easier to give up. In 1999, Warner became the St. Louis Rams starting quarterback and won the Super Bowl. He went from stocking shelves to Super Bowl MVP in five years.

Then there’s Dennis Rodman, who was homeless at 20, sleeping in friends’ cars after his mother kicked him out. He couldn’t make his high school basketball team. He worked as a janitor at an airport. Basketball seemed like a fantasy reserved for people who got chances he never got.

Rodman grew eight inches after high school and walked onto a junior college team. He still almost quit multiple times. The mental health struggles (which he’s openly discussed) made everything harder. But he kept going. Five NBA championships later, Rodman is considered one of the greatest defenders and rebounders in basketball history.

Warner and Rodman weren’t supposed to make it. Nobody believed in them. They almost believed the doubters. But they didn’t quit, and that’s why their stories matter. Extreme training methods show dedication, but mental resilience determines who survives when everything falls apart.

Steph Curry Nearly Gave Up Basketball in College

Steph Curry is a two-time NBA MVP, four-time champion, and the greatest shooter in basketball history. But at Davidson College, he almost transferred because he felt invisible.

Curry wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school. He was small (6’3″, 160 pounds soaking wet), his dad’s fame (Dell Curry) worked against him, and major programs didn’t think he could compete at the highest level. Davidson was the only Division I school that offered him a scholarship.

During his freshman year, Curry struggled. He wasn’t the star. He came off the bench. He questioned whether he belonged. According to interviews with his college coach Bob McKillop, Curry seriously considered transferring to a bigger program where he might get more attention. He felt like he was wasting his potential at a small school.

McKillop convinced him to stay. Curry’s sophomore year, he exploded. He led Davidson to the Elite Eight, scoring 40 points against Gonzaga. NBA scouts finally noticed. But the doubt never fully left. Even after being drafted seventh overall by the Warriors, analysts said his game wouldn’t translate to the NBA. Too small. Too weak. Too much of a liability on defense.

Curry proved them wrong by revolutionizing basketball. But the fact that he almost gave up in college shows how close we came to never seeing it happen.

When Depression Makes Athletes Who Almost Quit Consider Everything

Kevin Love had a panic attack during a game in 2017. The NBA All-Star and champion couldn’t breathe. His heart was racing. He thought he was dying. He had to leave the court.

Love had been battling depression and anxiety for years, but that panic attack forced him to confront it. He wrote an essay for The Players’ Tribune titled “Everyone Is Going Through Something,” opening up about his mental health struggles. [EXTERNAL LINK: Kevin Love’s essay “Everyone Is Going Through Something” – The Players’ Tribune] Love admitted he’d considered stepping away from basketball entirely because the mental toll felt unbearable.

Depression doesn’t care about your accolades. Love was a five-time All-Star playing for a championship team, but none of that stopped the panic attacks or the overwhelming sense of dread. He almost quit because he didn’t know how to function anymore.

Therapy and medication helped. So did talking about it publicly. Love became an advocate for athlete mental health, helping others realize they aren’t alone. He kept playing, not because basketball got easier, but because he learned how to manage the struggle.

Naomi Osaka faced similar battles. The tennis star withdrew from the French Open in 2021, citing depression and anxiety she’d been hiding since winning the US Open in 2018. Osaka said dealing with the media triggered her anxiety to unbearable levels, and she needed to step back.

The criticism was harsh. People called her weak. They said she was using mental health as an excuse. But Osaka stood firm. She took time off, went to therapy, and returned when she was ready. She later admitted she seriously considered quitting tennis permanently because the mental health cost was too high.

Athletes who almost quit because of mental illness show us that the mind can be as fragile as any ligament. The difference is, you can see a torn ACL on an MRI. You can’t see depression. But it’s just as real, and just as capable of ending careers.

Naomi Osaka Withdrew From Tennis to Save Herself

Osaka’s French Open withdrawal in 2021 shocked the tennis world, but it shouldn’t have. She’d been struggling publicly for years. Social media abuse. Pressure to be perfect. The constant demand to speak to media after matches when all she wanted was to decompress.

When Osaka refused mandatory press conferences, citing mental health, tournament officials fined her $15,000 and threatened expulsion. So she withdrew entirely. Her statement was simple: “I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players, and my well-being is that I withdraw.”

The backlash was predictable. Tennis legends criticized her. Piers Morgan called her a “spoiled brat.” Others said she was being unprofessional. But Osaka didn’t care. She chose herself over tennis, over expectations, over money.

She took months off. She skipped Wimbledon and the Olympics. She went to therapy and figured out how to exist as Naomi the person, not just Naomi the tennis player. When she came back, she was different. Less apologetic. More honest about her limits.

Osaka told reporters in 2023 that she seriously considered never playing tennis again. The sport had taken so much from her mentally that she wasn’t sure it was worth continuing. But therapy helped her separate her identity from her performance. She realized she could play tennis without letting it destroy her.

Athletes who almost quit because they prioritized their mental health over their sport set a precedent. Osaka helped normalize saying “I’m not okay” even when you’re at the top of your game.

The Moment Before the Breakthrough That Changes Everything

There’s a moment in every “almost quit” story where everything hinges on a single decision. For Phelps, it was checking into rehab instead of following through on his darkest thoughts. For Biles, it was withdrawing from Tokyo and choosing therapy over medals. For Curry, it was staying at Davidson instead of transferring.

These moments don’t feel heroic when you’re in them. They feel like failure. Like giving up. Like admitting you can’t handle what everyone expects you to handle.

But these moments are where the real story begins. The comeback requires more than physical recovery. It’s mental. It’s emotional. It’s learning that quitting the thing that’s destroying you isn’t the same as quitting on yourself.

Tom Brady considered retiring after the 2019 season with the Patriots. The relationship with Bill Belichick had deteriorated. Brady felt unappreciated. He was 42 and wondering if it was time to walk away. Then he signed with Tampa Bay, won another Super Bowl, and played three more years.

Magic Johnson retired in 1991 after testing positive for HIV. The world thought his career was over. He thought his life was over. But he came back briefly in 1996, showing the world that HIV wasn’t a death sentence. His return was less about basketball and more about proving he could still live.

The athletes who almost quit but didn’t often achieve their greatest success after the moment they nearly walked away. The struggle gives them perspective. The doubt gives them drive. The breakdown gives them a breakthrough.

Athletes Who Almost Quit Teach Us What Resilience Actually Means

Resilience isn’t powering through at all costs. That’s not strength; that’s stubbornness. Real resilience is knowing when to step back, when to ask for help, and when to admit you’re not okay.

Phelps teaches us that therapy isn’t weakness. Biles teaches us that protecting your mental health is more important than medals. Osaka teaches us that setting boundaries is self-care, not selfishness. Curry teaches us that doubt is normal, even for the greatest.

These athletes who almost quit didn’t succeed because they never struggled. They succeeded because they struggled and kept going anyway. They show us that the lowest point isn’t the end. Sometimes it’s the beginning of something better.

Their stories matter because most people don’t see the behind-the-scenes battle. We see the podium. The championship. The viral highlights. We don’t see the depression, the anxiety, the self-doubt, the nights where giving up feels like the only option.

Athletes who almost quit remind us that everyone struggles, even people who seem invincible. And sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is admit you need help and ask for it.

That’s the real victory. Not the medals. The survival.