To ask "what if?" is in our nature. Brilliance not achieved is complex to ponder. Often we see great athletes on the verge of dominating their sport, or already doing so, only to be derailed and never again reach their prior success.

The most recent such superstar is Ken Griffey Jr., who reportedly fell asleep in the clubhouse during a game. To see a player like Griffey in a Mariners uniform again, but as a shell of his former self, makes any fan reminisce and ask how good Griffey’s career would have been had it not been marred by injuries. Griffey is still a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but if not for a number of injuries in Cincinnati, he might have retired as the all-time home run king.

Of course, we’ll never know just how well Griffey would have done had he avoided injury. But that’s part of the fun of sports, to speculate on that which cannot be answered.

Some of these athletes weren’t stopped by injuries. Some retired at the peak of their profession. Jim Brown and Barry Sanders would likely hold most NFL rushing records had both not retired in their prime. If Bobby Jones hadn’t retired at 28, Tiger Woods might well be chasing his record for most major tournament wins.

But with those players, and with Griffey, we got to see them at their peak for a number of years. Others gave only a glimpse of their potential. These are the athletes who raise the biggest questions. These are the Top 10 Athletes Who Make You Wonder ‘What If?’