LeBron James and his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers sent seismic waves through the NBA and the Twittersphere. He’ll return not only to his old team but also to his old number, once again donning jersey No. 23.
When LeBron joined the Heat, Cleveland hadn’t earned a trophy in 46 years. LeBron, along with other NBA fans who love to bet on basketball, knew that his best championship chances lay with the Heat and his former Olympic teammates, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. After four years and two championships, he’s headed back to C-Town. He’s not the only pro athlete to discover that, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan not only left Chicago; he left basketball altogether. In October 1993, the original No. 23 announced his retirement from basketball. The next spring, he started at training camp with the Chicago White Sox and was sent to their minor league team in Birmingham, Alabama. Jordan’s decision to leave basketball was a mix of burnout and personal tragedy. Jordan’s father was murdered during the summer of 1993.
After a season with Birmingham and an appearance with the Scottsdale Scorpions in Arizona’s Fall League, Jordan announced his return to basketball and his return to the Windy City. The Bulls won the next three NBA championships, and Jordan retired again in 1999. He came back for a brief stint with the Washington Wizards and now is the owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets.
Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson, the “Man of Steal” whom Billy Beane called “the greatest leadoff hitter of all time,” started out his Major League career in Oakland. In 1982, he set the record for most bases stolen in a season (130). Over the course of his career, he’d lead the league 12 times in stolen bases during a season, and he still holds the all-time record of 1,406 stolen bases.
In 1985, the A’s needed pitchers, so they traded Henderson to the New York Yankees. Henderson had an outstanding first season with the Yankees and would keep playing in New York for four seasons. In 1989, Henderson was traded back to the A’s in mid-season and went on to lead them to the 1989 World Series Championship. Henderson played baseball until he was 44 years old, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd kicked off his NBA career in 1993 as a second-round draft pick for the Dallas Mavericks. He played for the Mavericks as one of the “three J’s” along with Jamal Mashburn and Jim Jackson. Despite making a big improvement in the Mavericks’ regular season record, the three stars had a contentious relationship. Kidd didn’t get along with the coaches, either, so he was shipped off to Phoenix in 1996.
After playing with Phoenix and New Jersey, Kidd returned to Dallas in 2008. This time, instead of getting booted after his third season, he got to hoist an NBA championship trophy. After retiring, Kidd went on to coach the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Trevor Linden
In 1988, 18-year-old Trevor Linden began playing in the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks. By age 21, he was team captain. Between 1990 and 1996, Linden played 482 consecutive NHL games, a record that stood for over a decade until Brendan Morrison broke it in 2007. In 1996, the NHL awarded Linden the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his contributions to the city of Vancouver. One year later, Linden was gone after friction with new coach Mike Keenan ended with Linden being traded to the New York Islanders.
Plagued by injury and poor performance, Linden was traded three times in three years between 1998 and 2001. In 2001, Linden returned to Vancouver in exchange for a couple of draft picks, and he went on
to break multiple team records including number of games played and assists. The team retired Linden’s jersey in 2008, and in 2014, Linden became the Canucks team president.
Going Home
Even if LeBron can’t draw the championship trophy to Cleveland, he says he’s longing to go home. “My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball,” James said. “I didn’t realize that four years ago.”