The Best Payback Moments in Sports

Although every single athlete seems to preach the phrase "sports is a business" when they defend their decision to leave a team, when a franchise is the one who makes the decision to get rid of them via trade or by not offering a contract, the player seems to hold a grudge.

Whether that's made public or kept as an internal piece of motivation, we've seen several players return to play their old teams with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, hoping to prove that the team's decision to let the player leave was a bad one.

That's why I ranked the top 15 classic payback performances, judging players, teams and coaches who enjoyed a memorable revenge.

15. U.S. Men's Soccer

It's fairly rare to have two soccer teams square off in three straight World Cup tournaments, but that was the case between the United States and Ghana.

Playing in 2006, Ghana defeated the U.S. to eliminate any chance of the Yanks making it past the group stage. Ghana defeated the U.S. again in 2010 in the knockout round, ending America's hopes at making a deep run with an extra-time shocker—no doubt creating quite the rivalry.

But the U.S. got their revenge in 2014, with Clint Dempsey scoring early to take a quick lead and John Brooks scoring in the 86th minute to answer an equalizer, giving the Americans a huge win to start their World Cup campaign.

14. Jon Gruden

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It's not every day that a head coach in any sport gets traded for draft picks, but former NFL head coach Jon Gruden was one of the few who it happened to.

Going from the Oakland Raiders to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gruden found himself against his former team in the Super Bowl in the very first season the two weren't together.

After taking the Raiders to great success but never to the Big Game, Gruden copped revenge against the Silver and Black by absolutely burying them on Super Bowl Sunday. His Buccaneers team routed Oakland 48-21 to get his first Super Bowl win as a head coach—and sweet revenge against the team that traded him away.

13. Sean Avery

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Best known for his off-the-ice antics, former NHL player Sean Avery was never one to have outrageous points games during his career.

After inking a four-year, $15.5 million deal with the Dallas Stars in 2008, the team let the left winger go following his now-famous "sloppy seconds" remark in which he poked fun at another player for dating his then ex-girlfriend.

Seeing an opportunity to pick up a decent player, the New York Rangers signed Avery, with his chance at revenge on Dallas coming in early 2010.

All the guy did was help route the Stars 5-2, with Avery enjoying one of his best games as a pro by notching a four-point night in the victory.

12. Steve Smith and DeSean Jackson

Image via Associated Press

Two of the most recent examples of payback in sports, wide receivers Steve Smith and DeSean Jackson weren't shy in talking about their anticipation to play against their former teams this season, the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively.

And when they both got out on the field, they certainly didn't hold anything back.

That's because Jackson—who played in Philadelphia in Week 3—caught five balls for 117 yards and a touchdown, which he celebrated by mocking the Eagles while in the end zone.

Smith had an even bigger day against his former team though, as he went on to haul in seven passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

Unfortunately, while they both got revenge on their old mates, only Smith's Baltimore Ravens came out on top with the win.

11. Alabama Crimson Tide

Any time a former coach meets one of his old teams—as Nick Saban does every season when leading his Alabama Crimson Tide against the LSU Tigers—there's going to be a little extra motivation.

And back in 2011, when the two teams went head-to-head in Tuscaloosa with the Tigers ranked No. 1 and Bama at No. 2 in the country, the stakes were just a little bit higher.

In a defensive battle and less than thrilling contest, LSU walked out of Bryant-Denny Stadium with a huge win, staying atop the rankings and causing one college kid to let some tears fall.

Need not worry, young bro, because the Tide got its revenge when it mattered the most—in the national title game later that season—as they won another rather boring contest 21-0 to earn a second national championship in three seasons.

10. LeBron James

He may be back in Northeast Ohio as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers now, but when LeBron James made his first trip back to Cleveland as the leader of the Miami Heat, fans weren't too excited to see him.

With Cavs owner Dan Gilbert blasting James' decision to bolt for South Beach just five months prior, the entire city of Cleveland had signs and boos ready for LeBron to see and hear.

So what did he do? What any other guy who holds the title of best player in the world would: Completely dominate.

James poured in 38 points, five rebounds and eight assists on the way to a 118-90 Miami victory, reminding everyone that they should be more careful about messing with the best.

9. Peyton Manning

Although they didn't end on bad terms, the competitor in quarterback Peyton Manning had to have a little extra motivation when going into the stadium that he helped build, squaring off against his old Indianapolis Colts team in 2013.

While Manning did have a great game by passing for 386 yards, three touchdowns and one pick, his Denver Broncos weren't able to overcome the Colts all night, with Manning falling to his old team 39-33—ending Denver's perfect season.

With the fans acknowledging and applauding Peyton during the pregame warmups, it showed how respected and loved he really was—but I'm sure the fans were excited to have sent him home with a loss.

8. Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees

We all know the story with these two bitter rivals.

Just when the Boston Red Sox appeared to have earned a trip to the 2003 World Series, former Red Sox manager Grady Little decided to keep then-ace Pedro Martinez on the mound for one batter too long, eventually losing on a walk-off homer to the New York Yankees and Aaron "Bleepin" Boone.

So when the two teams matched up in the ALCS the following year, no one knew what to expect.

What we all got was one of the best series in postseason history, with drama that couldn't be thought of by Hollywood writers.

From the Dave Roberts steal to the David Ortiz clutch hits, Curt Schilling's bloody sock and, finally, Johnny Damon's six-RBI in Game 7, the Red Sox finally overcame the demons that had haunted them for so long.

Beating the Yanks in spectacular fashion—and becoming the first team in MLB history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit—they eventually ended the Curse of the Bambino a week later to win their first World Series in 86 years.

7. Don Nelson

After leading the Dallas Mavericks to four straight 50-plus win seasons, an ongoing rift with owner Mark Cuban led to head coach Don Nelson resigning 64 games into the 2004-05 season.

The following season, as the Mavericks had just come off a trip to the NBA Finals, the team snagged the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with the best record in the league and matched up against Nelson's new team, the Golden State Warriors.

In one of the most stunning upsets in NBA playoff history, the Warriors exploited any weaknesses that Dallas had, eventually winning the series in six games and becoming just one of three No. 8 seeds to defeat a top seed in the postseason.

6. Brett Favre

Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press

One can't think of Brett Favre without recalling all of the memorable moments that the gunslinger had while with the Green Bay Packers.

Playing for the storied franchise for 16 seasons, Favre led the team to two straight Super Bowl appearances—with one win—and collected three league MVPs.

But the love affair got stale quickly once Favre wanted to play for the divisional-rival Minnesota Vikings in 2009.

Leading an undefeated Vikings team into Lambeau Field, Favre threw for 271 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers, leading Minnesota to a 30-23 win against his former mates—and, at that point, kept them a perfect 4-0.

5. 1991 Duke Blue Devils

A year following a humiliating, 30-point massacre in the national title game to the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, the Duke Blue Devils found themselves back in the ring to trade jabs with the same team in 1991.

Except this time the outcome was mighty different.

With 17 ties and 25 lead changes, the two traded jabs and gut punches all game long, with Duke finally holding on for the 79-77 upset victory to earn the school's first national championship and get revenge that few had seen coming—especially when compared with how the previous matchup went down.

4. Joe Montana

Han Deryk/Associated Press

Much like the aforementioned Brett Favre, few can think of the San Francisco 49ers' history without imagining No. 16, Joe Montana, standing under center and taking the snap.

Winning four Super Bowl titles in San Francisco, Montana was always forced to answer questions about his talented backup, Steve Young, who had filled in more than adequately any time Montana was injured.

Eventually getting traded to the Kansas City Chiefs prior to the 1993 season, Montana faced his former team in Week 2 of the '94 season, passing for 203 yards and two touchdowns on his way to a 24-17 win over his former team.

While Joe Cool got the best of the Niners in the regular season, San Fran got the last laugh, as they went on to win the Super Bowl later that season with Young at the helm.

3. San Antonio Spurs

As if I needed to remind you—never think it's over until it's over.

That was the lesson that the 2013 San Antonio Spurs learned when they blew a near certain victory in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat—eventually losing the series in seven games.

As fate would have it, though, the two teams found themselves in a rematch in this year's Finals, billed as one for the ages.

Well, that didn't exactly happen.

Shutting down the Heat in nearly every facet of the game, the Spurs humiliated Miami to the tune of an average victory of 18 points, closing the superteam out in five games to win the franchise's fifth NBA championship.

The loss may have single-handedly broken up the Heat, causing a change in the NBA landscape as well.

2. Roger Clemens

CHARLES KRUPA/Associated Press

One of the best pitchers to ever step on the bump for the Boston Red Sox, Roger Clemens enjoyed plenty of great performances while donning a "B" on his hat.

But one of his best outings ever happened to come when he made his return to Fenway Park to face his former team as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays the same year he left Beantown.

As one of the biggest competitors ever, Clemens shut down the Red Sox in 1997, striking out 16 batters and picking up the win by pitching eight innings in the 3-1 victory.

The Rocket would go on to win the AL Cy Young Award that season too, proving that he was on a mission to stick it to his former team—which, until recently, he still held a grudge with because of how things ended.

1. Wayne Gretzky

Although he cried at his farewell press conference that announced he was getting traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the L.A. Kings in 1988, Wayne Gretzky still probably wanted to stick it to his former team when he made his first appearance in Edmonton in 1989.

Sitting just two points behind Gordie Howe atop the league's all-time points leaders list, "The Great One" knew that he had the chance to break the record against the team he had enjoyed so many great moments with.

And, as if the hockey gods had compiled the plan, Gretzky did just that, first tying the record with an assist early in the game and then breaking it with a goal that tied the game in the third period.

Oh yeah, and for good measure—and in true Gretzky form—he clinched the record by netting the winning goal in overtime.

Talk about some payback, that's the way to do it.