10 Sports Stars Who Decided to Stay at Home
Deciding whether to stay within the comforts of your own home is a choice the majority of professional athletes are eventually faced with.
As the decision comes to a head, some bail, while others stick around and build on what they've already accomplished. Russell Westbrook pledging loyalty to the Oklahoma City Thunder, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, was the latest—and greatest—example of this trend.
The one constant you'll see throughout this piece is each name has a story of taking less money or almost moving on for various reasons. But in the end, they decided to stay at home.
Looking back through the years of free-agency decisions and other acts of selflessness, we've amassed 10 examples.
Honorable Mention: Udonis Haslem
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Udonis Haslem stands alone on this list in terms of superstar qualities. He never became a player worthy of Hall of Fame statues and immense jersey sales.
But in sports, Haslem's value has been unmatched. He can be deemed equally important as the Miami Heat's go-to role player. Serving with the Heat dating back to 2003, he's won three titles in South Beach.
When big money came pouring in from other NBA franchises, Haslem balked at those offers, choosing to re-sign with the Heat instead. In the summer of 2010, he turned down large quantities of loot from the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
He opted to stay in Miami, leaving $14 million on the table. That's a tremendous discount. Leaving cash on the table and sticking around is something Heat fans will never forget.
Kobe Bryant
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Kobe Bryant's celebratory send-off into retirement this past year could have been painted with a different brush, had it not been for a decisions made in 2004 and again in '07.
Those years represented two pivotal moments for the Black Mamba. As a seasoned and universally successful Laker, Bryant almost headed for greener pastures twice.
Mark Heisler's piece for the Los Angeles Times touched on the first time L.A. almost lost him in 2004. "Bryant, who had set July 15 as his deadline, still hadn't decided...and wouldn't until a phone conversation that night with Lakers owner Jerry Buss, vacationing in Europe," Heisler wrote.
Threats to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers turned into Bryant sticking around at the last minute.
The second time he almost vanished came in '07 when Bryant almost was traded during a tumultuous offseason. A trade never materialized and Pau Gasol was brought in to change the culture. Between Bryant and Gasol, the team went on to win two more NBA titles.
It was a bumpy ride at times, but Bryant always stuck around. He stayed home and true to the purple and gold way of life.
Steven Stamkos
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Steven Stamkos is one of the best in the world at what he does. Naturally, when faced with the prospect of leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning this offseason because of free agency, the 26-year-old could have had the pick of the litter in terms of potential NHL franchises.
Teams like the Detroit Red Wings attempted to go all-in for him, as Chuck Pleiness of the Oakland Press discussed. After mulling over his options, Stamkos decided to stick around Florida, inking a new deal with the Lightning—TSN's Bob McKenzie reported the deal came with an average annual value of $8.5 million.
The new contract bolsters an already strong Lightning team and puts Stamkos in a good position to enjoy the frothy goodness that is Lord Stanley's Cup.
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Dirk Nowitzki
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The Dallas Mavericks love Dirk Nowitzki, and Dirk Nowitzki loves the Mavericks. He's remained the face of the city's basketball endeavors for 18 seasons now.
Sure, there have been times where flailing thoughts of Nowitzki heading elsewhere have emerged. Take this past season for example. The 7'0" power forward opted out of his current deal to hit free agency, only to re-sign a new two-year, $40 million extension in July, per ESPN's Marc Stein.
In the end, No. 41 has always stayed in the Lone Star State. He's a 13-time NBA All-Star and the driving force behind Dallas' only NBA title in 2011. Basically, he's irreplaceable.
Loyalty is rare in pro sports. Fortunately for Dallas, Nowitzki has done his best to dispel that notion wrong with each passing year.
The Undertaker
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Like all sports, professional wrestling is a lucrative business. And in business, things can change in the shuttering blink of an eye.
The ongoing war between World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling consumed television airwaves during the late 1990s. Each promotion was trying to destroy its competitor with risky storylines, athletes jumping ship and riveting segments of in-ring action.
WWE leaned on superstars like The Undertaker for consistency through dark times. With so many athletes changing promotions—Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho come to mind—The Undertaker's loyalty was refreshing.
Taker has spent every year with the company since his debut in 1990. But as Nash told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, the Deadman almost jumped ship in 2000 to WCW. "We had ‘Taker close," Nash explained.
The deal never came to fruition, further solidifying his legacy with the WWE. When push came to shove, Taker always stayed home.
Russell Westbrook
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We touched on it briefly in the intro slide, but Russell Westbrook deciding to re-up his commitment with the Oklahoma City Thunder is significant. Especially on the heels of Kevin Durant leaving for Northern California.
Westbrook is a unique, intensely talented guard. His staggering play in many ways became the focal point of what the Thunder do.
Take his stats for example. He averaged 23.5 points, 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game over the course of the 2015-16 season—the year before he averaged 28.1 points per game. Those are LeBron James-like numbers for a guy who stands at 6'3".
The three-year, $85 million renegotiation of his current deal, as detailed by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, keeps Westbrook in OKC and allows him to become the long-term face of this franchise.
Francesco Totti
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Nothing and no one could convince Roma's Francesco Totti to leave the team he built a career with. The 39-year-old icon is about to enjoy his 25th season with Roma, supplanting him as the club's greatest asset.
Over the years he's achieved so many things under the Roma umbrella, including reaching the 300 mark for goals scored in 2015. When Bleacher Report's Colin O'Brien spoke to Totti last year, the longtime Roma captain talked about not having any regrets: "I might have had the chance to win much more with other teams, but I am proud of what I've done with this jersey. No victory with another jersey would have given me the same emotions and satisfactions that this one has given me as captain."
He's laid it all on the line for Roma and has never looked back. The longevity and sheer brilliant play he's put forth has turned the club into an Italian powerhouse for almost three decades now.
Tim Duncan
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Staying home is not always about bailing for another team. It's about selflessness.
Tim Duncan's NBA career was centered around giving the San Antonio Spurs a chance to win by any means necessary. As recently as 2015, Duncan took a massive pay cut in order to give the Spurs more room to compete atop the NBA's Western Conference.
That wasn't the first time he scaled back on finances, choosing to help the Spurs grow instead. Duncan shredded his pay in half heading into the 2012-13 season, going from $21.16 million the year before to an annual salary of $9.65 million, per Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo Sports.
Slicing salary was part of the gig. Duncan's choices kept the Spurs afloat and the team responded, becoming an anchor for greatness. They won five NBA titles and haven't experienced a losing season since Duncan jumped onto the scene in 1998.
He stayed at home and acted unselfishly throughout it all.
Steve Yzerman
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There aren't many athletes in Detroit Red Wings history that represent the franchise as well as Steve Yzerman did for 1,514 games and 22 years.
He was the heart, soul and captain of the Red Wings, helping lay claim to three Stanley Cup victories during his lengthy tenure.
Yzerman as a player was loyal to the bone. Because of how history has been molded, it's almost unimaginable to think the Red Wings were on the cusp of dealing him during the 1995-96 season. Sean McIndoe scribed about the trade on Grantland. "They came very close to sending him to the Ottawa Senators in a deal that would have centered on Alexei Yashin," McIndoe recalled.
Ownership nixed the trade and Yzerman went on to win big in Motor City. Sure, his decision to stay home wasn't always up to him. But before and after the failed trade, Yzerman continuously re-signed with the Red Wings, proving his commitment to the team.
Tom Brady
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There was never a question about Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots. His meteoric rise to the top of the National Football League and special relationship with head coach Bill Belichick was enough to make him a lifetime member of the Pats early on.
Brady's continued effort to stay at home reflected more of Tim Duncan's line of thinking. He was always at the forefront of financial adjustments with the hopes of keeping the Patriots among the NFL's best.
The pay-cut mantra has been a Brady staple. He re-worked his deal with the Pats in 2014, freeing up $24 million worth of extra loot, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com explained how his constant salary tweaks make him underpaid in the grand scheme of modern-day quarterbacks: "In 25 years of being on both sides of the business of football and now analyzing it, I have not seen such a harsh discount, with Brady earning roughly $10 million per year below his market value."
Brady has remained the Patriots centerpiece for financial and statistical reasons. He's a Hall of Famer and a guy who continuously pursued the best ways to stay home and build from within.
Derek Jeter
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Derek Jeter's illustrious career with the New York Yankees seemed like it would go on forever. He was a lock to retire in pinstripes, until he wasn't.
In 2010, Jeter and the Yankees came to the table with the hopes of securing a new deal. Negotiations hit a holding pattern early on due to money, prompting wild rumors about Jeter perhaps joining the Boston Red Sox.
Finally, when December rolled around, Jeter and the Yankees reached an agreement. Ben Shpigel and Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times discussed how this period was perceived: "This past month has been by far the most tumultuous period of the Yankees’ otherwise cozy 18-year relationship with Derek Jeter, and it left an uneasy feeling across their empire."
Luckily it ended well. Jeter inked a three-year, $51 million deal, representing a $3 million pay cut from his past contracts, per Shpigel and Schmidt. He stuck with the Yankees and retired as a legend.
All stats, box scores and information via Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
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