10 Superstars We'd Love to See Come Out of Retirement
NASCAR great Jeff Gordon retired in 2015, but he put a temporary hold on that to replace an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. in two races this year.
Pretty cool, right?
What Gordon is doing—temporarily coming out of retirement to appear in limited action—might not be feasible in all sports in the same way. And yet, it's fun to think about. Who else would fans like to see come out of retirement, if not for their likability, then at least for the stir it would cause?
Admittedly, the definition of "retirement" is a little loose in some of these cases. Ray Allen is not officially retired, after all. Also, athletes have the right to decide their own fates, so these aren't so much serious suggestions as fun discussion topics.
In fact, most of the following 10 athletes will not come out of retirement, but Twitter would go nuts if any of them did.
Barry Bonds
1 of 10
Age: 52
Barry Bonds hit 762 career home runs. He is the single-season leader (73 in 2001). Yes, there are accusations of performance-enhancing drugs, but that's still a lot of home runs.
Now he serves as hitting coach for the Miami Marlins. He's been working with slugger Giancarlo Stanton—who won the 2016 Home Run Derby, by the way.
Also, according to SiriusXM Radio's Craig Mish (via Matt Snyder of CBS Sports), Bonds took on Stanton and a few other Marlins players in a batting practice home run competition in March—and won.
Yes, he's 52 years old, but what if Bonds came out of retirement just to participate in the Home Run Derby? Love him or hate him, be honest: You'd watch that so hard.
Randy Moss
2 of 10
Age: 39
NFL wide receiver Randy Moss hung up his cleats in 2011 but later came out of retirement for a stint with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012.
Though Moss never officially announced a second retirement, he hasn't played since that year with the Niners. Still, 2015 was littered with rumors of another Moss return.
In August, Moss told Fox's Curt Menefee he had "not lost the itch" to play, according to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com.
And NFL wide receivers Mike Evans and Brandin Cooks each said the dude can still hang, according to Buccaneers Radio Network and the Jim Rome Show, respectively (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
The man is 39—old by NFL standards but not decrepit. Would you really be shocked to see a team sign him to a one-year deal at, say, the veteran's minimum?
It could happen, and it would be fun to see what he has left.
Ray Allen
3 of 10
Age: 41
Like Randy Moss, Ray Allen isn't officially retired per se. In fact, the 41-year-old has dabbled with the idea of returning to the NBA after a hiatus in 2015-16.
As recently as early July, rumors linked him to the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. ESPN's Chris Broussard cited league sources when reporting Allen's people had reached out to both teams.
Allen could add value in a league that is increasingly reliant on outside shooting. He is the NBA's all-time leader in career three-pointers with 2,973.
This one could actually happen.
Marshawn Lynch
4 of 10
Age: 30
Former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch announced his retirement in February when he was still just 29 years old.
Since then, there has been chatter of a return. Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reported a few Seahawks thought Lynch might change his mind and return after the offseason. Or maybe he would go play for his hometown Oakland Raiders?
Lynch has squashed all that. In an appearance on 60 Minutes Sports in June, he said, via Michael Tunison of Sports on Earth: "I'm retired. Is that good enough? Which camera do you want me to look into? This one? I'm done. I'm not playing football anymore."
Still, who wouldn't want to see Beast Mode make a return? He was one of the toughest, most dynamic backs in the league. A comeback sounds unlikely, but it would be awesome.
Floyd Mayweather
5 of 10
Age: 39
Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired from boxing in September with a 49-0 record.
Early on, he denied rumors of a comeback, but his name just keeps coming up. Maybe he will come out of retirement to fight UFC star Conor McGregor? Perhaps he will schedule a rematch with Manny Pacquiao?
This comeback would be less shocking than others because of money. Mayweather, famously obsessed with the green, said in June, "For the right price, I may come back," per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.
Judging by his last couple of fights, a Mayweather comeback might not make for the most entertaining spectacle, but it would be one heck of a story.
Brett Favre
6 of 10
Age: 46
Come on, you knew he'd be on here.
Yes, the New York Jets just (finally) got a deal done with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but it was touch-and-go there for a while. And although Fitz had a decent 2015 (3,905 passing yards), Chase Stuart of FiveThirtyEight suggests that was largely the result of the caliber of his receivers.
It things go south at all for Fitzgerald in 2016, the Jets will be in a tough spot. Who better than famous un-retirer and former New York Jet Brett Favre to ride in and save the day?
In all seriousness, how irritated would you be if Favre announced a return? But at the same time, how much would you also be glued to Twitter, closely monitoring every development?
Lionel Messi
7 of 10
Age: 29
To be fair, Lionel Messi has retired only from international competition. Still, one might wonder if his motivation was more about the sting of another Copa America loss than his readiness to move on from Argentina's national team.
Wouldn't it be great to see Messi toss aside that whole retirement announcement and return for the 2018 World Cup? Bonus if Argentina wins it all.
Dermot Corrigan of ESPNFC wrote, "Ex-Argentina coach Cesar Luis Menotti says he believes Lionel Messi will change his mind and play for his country again."
Think of the hype. Think of the pressure. Think of the glory.
Tracy McGrady
8 of 10
Age: 37
Tracy McGrady retired from the NBA in 2013, but he did mull a comeback at one point.
In December 2014, T-Mac told Les Carpenter, then with Bleacher Report: "The thing is, I can still go, man. My body is still in shape. I can go. It's about opportunity, though."
So, that didn't happen. However, McGrady also joked on ESPN's The Jump in May, regarding a potential max deal for Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, "If he's a max player, then I'm coming back," per Keely Diven of CSN Mid-Atlantic.
You promise? Surprise, Beal got paid.
It would be fun to see T-Mac join a juggernaut and make one last run at a ring.
David Beckham
9 of 10
Age: 41
David Beckham retired as a player in 2013, but he's been back in soccer news recently for his ownership of a new MLS team in Miami.
He has secured land for a stadium and even tried to recruit Manchester United superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the club, although that reportedly didn't go well, according to Goal.com (h/t MLSSoccer.com.
The club won't play any actual games for some time—possibly years. Still, a Beckham comeback could be one of those Jeff Gordon instances that's actually not a terrible idea.
What better way to promote the new club than have its famous owner play in a friendly? It doesn't sound too outrageous and would bring the entertainment value.
Kobe Bryant
10 of 10
Age: 37
Because the internet would explode. That's why.
In terms of all logical reasoning, Kobe Bryant should not come out of retirement. He struggled with injuries in his final seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his production dropped in the end (17.6 points and 28.2 minutes per game in 2015-16 versus 22.3 and 34.5 in 2014-15).
He had the most epic, season-long retirement tour that culminated in a final game that saw him score an unbelievable 60 points.
And yet, it does feel a little wrong that Bryant, a five-time champion, went out on a 17-65 campaign. Can you imagine if he announced a comeback? The hype, the hysteria—it would be unreal.
Remember when Bryant's last game temporarily shut down Twitter? (For real, that happened). It would be like that times 100.
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