There isn’t moment in life that a line from “The Dark Knight” can’t relate to. For example, Harvey Dent’s (or Two-Face to those unfamiliar with the DC universe) infamous “Die and be a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.”
While heroes and villains exist in the league — to the chagrin of fans who believe the NBA is now filled with tons of buddy-buddy persons — to fit this particular case, the heroes here are those who retire the game before the end, and the villains, those who allow us to witness an unnerving transformation from super to mere mortals.