Athletes Who Proved You Can Go Home Again
Thomas Wolfe's posthumous novel You Can't Go Home Again took a well-known, if not well-articulated, trope and gave it life. It's the idea that returning to the place that made you (or broke you) isn't just about you being okay with going home but also about everyone else being okay with you coming home.
So unless you're riding back into town on a chariot pulled by unicorns and carrying a bag of cash, the prospect of going home is as much a perception problem as a personal one.
In sports, the ability to go home is even more fraught with danger; home is often a place an athlete left under circumstances that left someone unhappy, whether it be the team, fans or themselves. And some place doesn't become home unless something connects an athlete to it.
When money or the desire to win drives a wedge between an athlete and the place that originally defined them, it makes any reunion a truly rare phenomenon. But those same things that often cause the divorce can also fuel the reconciliation. Fans may have said "good riddance" when an athlete left, but the prospect of a better team almost always makes it water under the bridge.
Here are a few athletes who proved you can go home again.
Ken Griffey Jr.
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Ken Griffey Jr. was drafted by the Mariners No. 1 overall in 1987 and made his starting debut for the team during the ’89 season. Griffey played the first 11 seasons of his career with the Mariners, then he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds after the ’99 season.
At the time, Griffey was considered to be largely on the decline, which turned out to be exactly the case—Seattle allowing him to leave was ranked among the "trades of the decade." His career peaked in ’97, and he never again got close to the production of that season despite another 13 in MLB.
Griffey played just under a decade in Cincinnati (and part of one year with the White Sox in Chicago) before making the decision to return to the Mariners as a free agent ahead of the 2009 season. Although his abrupt retirement a year later was rather unceremonious, it was still a very nice story in Seattle.
Randy Moss
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Legendary NFL wide receiver Randy Moss was drafted No. 21 overall out of Marshall by the Vikings in 1998. Although he would go on to have some very productive seasons with the Patriots, the best part of his career was spent in Minnesota.
Moss wasn’t particularly pleased with where he was at any point during the course of his career, which is how he ended up in Oakland, New England and Tennessee. But for a hot second there in 2010, it looked like Moss was going to be returning home to Minnesota a conquering hero.
He definitely proved you can go home again for a game or two, but after four, they were more than ready to send Moss packing. His nastiness with caterers and well-known penchant for quitting on plays is what ultimately led to his release from the Vikings shortly after his return.
Andy Pettitte
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Pitcher Andy Pettitte played his first nine seasons with the Yankees before signing with the Astros as a free agent following the 2003 season. The move wasn’t about money, either—Pettitte reportedly took $7.5 million less to return to Houston, the city that had been his home since childhood.
That Steinbrenner money proved too much to resist, though. In late 2006, Pettitte was lured back to New York, where he would play out the rest of his career before retiring after the 2013 season. Clearly, there were no hard feelings lingering from his exit.
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Ron Hextall
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Goalie Ron Hextall played his first six seasons in the NHL with the Flyers in Philadelphia. In 1992, he was traded to the Nordiques (which are now the Avalanche) in a deal that brought the concussion-prone phenom Eric Lindros to Philly.
Hextall may not have been a member of the Broad Street Bullies Flyers teams of the '70s, but he was absolutely a part of them in spirit. After two seasons away, the Islanders traded him back to Philly for nobody in particular.
Although he’s unlikely to ever make the NHL Hall of Fame, Hextall is a member of the Flyers Hall of Fame.
Reggie Jackson
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Decades after playing his final season in 1987, Hall of Fame right fielder Reggie Jackson is most commonly associated with the Yankees. But Mr. October only donned pinstripes for five of his 21 seasons in MLB. They were good ones, though—he earned that nickname in New York.
Jackson was drafted by the A’s in 1966, remaining with the team until being traded to the Orioles in 1975. He logged five with the Yanks and another five with the Angels before returning home to play one final season with the A’s. He hit the final 15 home runs of his career in Oakland.
Steve Nash
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Point guard Steve Nash was drafted No. 15 overall by the Phoenix Suns in 1996. After starting just 11 games in Phoenix in his first two seasons, Nash was shipped off to the Mavericks in 1998, and he remained in Dallas until 2004, when he decided to return to the Suns via free agency.
Nash was obviously welcomed back with open arms in Phoenix, where he’d instantly go on to win consecutive NBA MVP Awards. Though he wouldn’t win a championship with the Suns, he played there for the next eight seasons, some of the most productive of his entire career.
Unfortunately, for Lakers fans, it seems like Nash’s best days are long behind him. Traded to Los Angeles and signed by the Lakers in 2012 at the age of 38, he has played a total of 65 regular-season games over three seasons.
At this point, it’s hard to imagine the Suns would be desperate to bring the 41-year-old home, but it’s also not outside the realm of possibility.
Torii Hunter
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Outfielder Torii Hunter made his MLB debut with the Twins in 1997 but only played seven games in his first two seasons in Minnesota. He became a full-time starter in 1999 and was a full-fledged All-Star by 2007.
After playing and pricing his way out of Minnesota, as a free agent Hunter chased the money to Los Angeles in 2007, signing a five-year, $90 million deal with the Angels. After five years with Anaheim and another two with Detroit, in late 2014, the Twin Cities welcomed Hunter back with a one-year, $10.5 million deal.
Maybe he’ll help the lowly Twins out of the AL Central’s basement this season, although that’s hard to believe. Either way, he seems happy to be home. Especially since an old friend of his has also recently returned to the area. Speaking of which...
Kevin Garnett
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Torii Hunter isn’t the only All-Star to get his start in Minnesota before moving on to more lucrative pastures. NBA forward Kevin Garnett was drafted by the Timberwolves in 1995, and it didn’t take long for him to emerge as a franchise player in Minnesota.
KG played there 12 seasons when a blockbuster deal sent him to the Celtics in the summer of 2007. After six great years in Boston and not even two unremarkable seasons in Brooklyn, Garnett was traded back to where it all started. The Timberwolves may be in last place, and 38-year-old KG may be in the twilight of his career, but you’d never know it from the way they rolled out the red carpet in Minnesota to welcome him back.
Garnett’s first game back was a sell-out; the crowd in attendance were ecstatic. Also thrilled to have KG back? Torii Hunter! The two old friends are already looking forward to having some back-in-the-day fun together.
Luc Robitaille
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Although the Los Angeles Kings have suddenly claimed some sort of relevancy within the NHL with two recent Stanley Cup wins (their only two in franchise history), they had been largely fighting for legitimacy since entering the league via expansion in 1967.
There are those who may consider Wayne Gretzky the greatest player in Kings history, but the best of his career happened in Edmonton—by at least a few years. He and Luc Robitaille also won the same number of Stanley Cups in Los Angeles during their respective tenures in LA: zero.
Robitaille was drafted by the Kings No. 171 overall in 1984—just 170 places later than the Penguins, who drafted Mario Lemieux No. 1. Pretty impressive for a guy who was easily at least a top-five pick that year. Despite his years outside of Los Angeles, Robitaille is considered among the top-three players in Kings history.
James Harrison
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NFL linebacker James Harrison went undrafted out of Kent State in 2002. He was eventually taken on by the Pittsburgh Steelers and spent two years on the practice squad. In late 2003, he was signed by division-rival Baltimore Ravens, but he was eventually cut by Baltimore and re-signed by Steelers during training camp in 2004.
Harrison went on to be a stunningly scary starter for the Steelers for the next nine seasons; his 100-yard touchdown against the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLII is one of the most memorable plays in NFL history. Seriously—"scary" isn’t the least bit of an exaggeration.
After nine seasons with the Steelers, Harrison decided to sign with AFC North division-rival Cincinnati Bengals for less money than he was offered in Pittsburgh. He had a less than impressive season in Cincinnati and was released, but he was brought back by a welcoming Steeler Nation in September 2014.
Mark Messier
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In his first 12 seasons in the NHL, Hall of Fame great Mark Messier enjoyed stunning success playing alongside Wayne Gretzky in Edmonton. The Oilers were one of the great dynasties, winning five Stanley Cups between 1984 and 1990.
The thing about that team is that history will always classify it as Gretzky’s team, and rightfully so, but without Messier’s offensive production and physical presence, there’s no guarantee a dynasty would’ve even happened. Gretzky may have been the "Great One" in Edmonton, but Messier was the "Messiah" in New York. In 1991, the Oilers traded him to the Rangers, whom he captained to their first championship since 1940 just three years later.
In 1997, Messier attempted a return to his native Canada, signing with the Canucks in a move both he and Vancouver still regret almost two decades later. It was a failed experiment that lasted just three years (unless you count the decade of arbitration), and in July 2000 the New York Post demanded that the Rangers re-sign Messier.
They did just that, and he was welcomed back with open arms. Messier has since been voted the No. 1 Ranger of all time by fans but No. 93 by Canucks fans.
LeBron James
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In July 2010, the entire American sports world was laser focused on just one thing: the impending decision of NBA free agent LeBron James. Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, King James was drafted straight out of high school by the Cavaliers in 2003.
So not only was the best player in the game potentially on the move, his leaving would be considered the ultimate betrayal by an entire state of Ohioans, who had embraced them as their hero. The tension was palpable, and as we all know, James decided to take his talents to South Beach.
Cleveland did not take the news well—jerseys were destroyed, effigies were burned and epithets were shouted. It seemed crazy that some within the media immediately began speculating on "what if" scenarios for a return down the line, especially given the success he enjoyed with the Heat.
In July 2014, the entire American sports world was once again laser focused on the free agency of one LeBron James. Many believed that staying in Miami was the obvious outcome of the sequel and that a return to Cleveland was unlikely, especially given the bad blood left between him and ownership (and fans).
Ultimately, James decided to return home, and in an instant, the past was forgiven.
Rickey Henderson
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If there’s any athlete in all of American sports who has proved you can, in fact, go home again, it’s Hall of Fame left fielder Rickey Henderson.
One of the most entertaining and frustrating characters in MLB history, the "Man of Steal" had the kind of personality that tends to wear out its welcome—he played for nine different teams over 24 seasons. Henderson also happened to have the kind of talent that makes it easier to forgive and forget, especially if you’re an A’s fan. He played his first six seasons in Oakland before being traded to the Yankees after the 1984 season.
The Yanks traded Henderson back in 1989. He was briefly traded to the Blue Jays midway through the ’93 season but re-signed with the A’s just months later. In 1996, Henderson signed with the Padres, who traded him to the Angels in ’97. The following January, Henderson once again returned to the A’s, this time as a free agent. It was to be his fourth and final stint in Oakland.
They may have finally found a way to quit each other once and for all, but Rickey Henderson will always be remembered as a member of the Oakland A’s.
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