Can These Polarizing Superstars Go Back Home?
LeBron James and Kevin Garnett proved you can always go home again. What about some other polarizing sports superstars?
Some of these athletes left their teams, and some were banned for inappropriate activity. Some of these athletes may never be welcomed back, but others have proven it is possible. As it turns out, sometimes, time really does heal all wounds.
Who was welcomed back, who hasn't been, and whose situation is most polarizing of all?
Ryan Braun in Milwaukee
1 of 12
Status: Welcome
Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun is a fixture in baseball's steroid era. Braun repeatedly denied performance-enhancing drug use and even successfully appealed a suspension in 2012.
However, in 2013, Braun became embroiled in the Biogenesis scandal. He eventually owned up to lying about PED use and served a 65-game suspension. Former pal and business partner Aaron Rodgers even parted ways with Braun.
Still, Milwaukee fans proved to be quickly forgiving. In his first game back following the suspension, Braun received a standing ovation at Miller Park.
Shaquille O'Neal in LA
2 of 12
Status: Welcome
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant enjoyed great success together with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning three championships from 2000-02.
Unfortunately, continued tension made it difficult for the two superstars to coexist, and O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. Bryant is beloved in L.A., but the team also has a great respect for what O'Neal accomplished during his time there.
The Lakers retired his No. 34 in 2012, and according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the late Jerry Buss said:
"Shaq had a long and amazing career, with a huge impact both on and off the court. His contributions were significant to the entire NBA, but we specifically appreciate what he did with and what he meant to the Lakers during his eight years with us. We have three championships that we wouldn't have won without him, and we will forever be grateful for his significant contributions to those teams.
"
Reggie Bush at USC
3 of 12
Status: Not Welcome
Reggie Bush was a hero for the USC football program. He helped the Trojans to a BCS national championship in 2004 and won the Heisman Trophy in 2005.
Unfortunately, his legacy was tarnished in 2010 when the NCAA issued sanctions against the school for violations involving Bush and his family. The penalties included banning him from USC's campus, and Bush eventually returned his Heisman Trophy.
So Bush is quite literally not welcome at USC. However, athletic director Pat Haden recently told Jane Wells of CNBC, via Scott Wolf of Inside USC, he'd like to see the ban lifted, saying, "Absolutely. Reggie Bush is one of the greatest football players in the history of USC football."
.jpg?w=256 "Browns Football")
Dwight Howard in Orlando
4 of 12
Status: Not Welcome
Dwight Howard was taken first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2004 NBA draft. The big man made a name for himself there, winning three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Unfortunately, Howard went from beloved to despised in Orlando when he began to make trade demands and continually butted heads with then-head coach Stan Van Gundy. Howard was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012, and fans have never really forgiven him for the unceremonious departure.
Howard once told Sam Amick of USA Today, "In Orlando, I handled a lot of stuff the wrong way. If any of those people in Orlando are upset with how I did it, I apologize for the way I handled it and the way it was handled in the media."
Johnny Damon in Boston
5 of 12
Status: Welcome
Johnny Damon played for the Boston Red Sox for four years and helped the team to a curse-breaking World Series title in 2004. Following the 2005 season, however, he did the unthinkable. Damon signed a free-agent contract with the New York Yankees.
Loyal Bostonians were not happy, and Damon was booed heavily at his first away appearance at Fenway Park since his departure.
Years have passed, but it's still unclear where things stand. Damon appeared on the latest installment of Celebrity Apprentice and indicated he and the Red Sox are not on speaking terms. However, according to TMZ, Red Sox owner John Henry responded by saying, "I have nothing but respect personally for Johnny. He accomplished a great deal in Boston and will always be welcome at Fenway."
There you have it. Always welcome.
Brett Favre in Green Bay
6 of 12
Status: Welcome
Brett Favre became a football legend in Green Bay. The longtime Packers quarterback won three consecutive MVP awards and started every game for the Packers from 1993-2007. His departure from Wisconsin was, unfortunately, a bit more muddied.
Favre began to dabble publicly with the idea of retirement in 2006 and announced it officially in March 2008. He later changed his mind, but the Packers, already poised to move on with Aaron Rodgers, traded Favre instead of welcoming him back with open arms. After three more seasons of football (and retirement seesawing), Favre finally called it quits for real in 2010.
Fans in Green Bay had mixed feelings when he was inducted into the team Hall of Fame in 2014, but it looks like the wounds may have healed. In April, the team announced it would honor Favre with a halftime ceremony on Thanksgiving Day.
Lance Armstrong in Cycling
7 of 12
Status: Not Welcome
After years of doping allegations, cycling legend Lance Armstrong finally admitted to various forms of illegal performance enhancement in 2012. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency banned Armstrong from competitive cycling for life and stripped his seven Tour de France titles.
According to Simon Austin of the New York Times, Armstrong has said he would like to have the ban lifted, and he met with USADA in March to discuss the possibility. So far, no dice. General director of the World Anti-Doping Agency David Howman told the Associated Press (via the Chicago Tribune), Armstrong would have to make attempts with his organization as well.
Howman said, "If he satisfied the criteria to go forward and ask for suspension of his ban, the criteria will be carefully looked at, but so far he has not. There is no consideration being given to it."
Luis Figo in Barcelona
8 of 12
Status: Not Welcome
It's been a long time since now-retired Portuguese soccer star Luis Figo left FC Barcelona for their bitter rival, Real Madrid. However, it is not a move Barca fans will likely ever forget.
In 2002, the superstar returned to Barcelona for the first time since the transfer heard 'round the world, and his former fans did not welcome him. In fact, they famously threw a pig head onto the field, indicating their disgust at his perceived betrayal.
In 2009, James Walker-Roberts of Goal.com reported Figo told El Pais, "I take responsibility for it. It is normal that if I go to Barcelona, people will hate me…When I retire I will visit Barcelona again. They may not ask me for autographs, but I will return."
Given the intensity of the Barca-Real rivalry, it's not surprising some fans still harbor resentment.
Roger Clemens in Boston
9 of 12
Status: Welcome
Roger Clemens is nothing if not polarizing. Perhaps one of the greatest pitchers in history, he spent 13 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, racking up 192 of his eventual 354 wins and three of his seven Cy Youngs.
Clemens left for Toronto in 1997 but later signed with Boston's bitter rival, the New York Yankees. His success in New York, combined with years of steroid allegations, made Clemens a less-than-revered figure in Boston.
However, Rocket seems to have won a few people over in the years since. He has made several appearances at Fenway, and the Red Sox inducted him into the franchise Hall of Fame in 2014. It's tough to stay mad at a guy who was so good for your team for so long.
Bill Russell and the City of Boston
10 of 12
Status: Welcome
Bill Russell is a basketball legend who played for the Boston Celtics from 1956-69 and won an astonishing 11 NBA championships. However, his story is bigger than basketball.
Despite his success on the basketball court, his relationship with the city of Boston was contentious, fueled by racial tensions and what appeared to be discrimination on the part of the city's sports media. Russell chose not to attend his own number retirement ceremony in 1972.
Russell was never banned, and his actions and demeanor throughout his career were simply born from his passion for civil liberties. Despite the somewhat rocky landscape of his playing days, it appears his relationship with Boston might be on the mend. Russell did attend the unveiling of his statue on Boston's City Hall Plaza in 2013.
Pete Rose in MLB
11 of 12
Status: Not Welcome
In 1989, the all-time MLB hit leader was banned from baseball for life. Pete Rose denied gambling allegations for years, but he admitted in 2004 he bet on the Cincinnati Reds when he managed the team.
Rose's is a dividing situation, and many folks, especially fans in Cincinnati, believe he should be welcomed back to the game of baseball. Rose has petitioned for reinstatement several times, most recently in March to new MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
There has been no decision yet, but according to Jayson Stark of ESPN, Manfred said, "Technically, what's within my jurisdiction is the question of whether he belongs on the permanently ineligible list, which relates to the integrity of the game and the institution that I'm charged with protecting."
Alex Rodriguez in New York
12 of 12
Status: Welcome
Alex Rodriguez has become arguably one of the most loathed figures in American sports. There has been off-field drama throughout his career, but his entanglement in MLB’s PED saga is what really put the knife in his image coffin. This is a man who admitted to lying about PED use, sued MLB and the Yankees team doctor and served the longest PED suspension in baseball history.
Coming off of the yearlong mandatory break in 2014, A-Rod rejoined the New York Yankees in 2015, hoping to resurrect a career on life support. So far, he has had some success, helping the Yankees to a hot start and climbing up the all-time home run list.
When A-Rod passed Willie Mays for fourth all time, the fans in the Bronx called him out of the dugout in appreciation. Brendan Kuty of NJ.com reported A-Rod said, "I certainly thought the days of curtain calls for me were long gone."
.jpg?w=480 "Browns Football")
.jpg?w=600 "AEW Dynamite Results & Recap")