Every year in the NBA, some of the most anticipated games on the NBA calendar are “revenge games.” Typically, revenge games are where a superstar player playing on a new team returns to his old stadium to play the old team that he used to lead.
Sometimes, players are welcomed home with open arms and are celebrated for what they accomplished on their old teams. Other times, though, stars and teams ended their relationship on a sour note, making a player's return less than pretty. If a player demands a trade or unexpectedly leaves in free agency, a fan base will oftentimes despise that player and make their feelings well known when that player returns to face his old team.
In revenge games, NBA fans will boo louder than ever, but the recipient of the boos will usually play their heart out to ensure a big performance and metaphorically rub salt in the wound of a disappointed fanbase/organization.
James Harden, who was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Clippers at the start of this season, returned to Philadelphia on March 27. Harden's fallout with the 76ers was ugly. Harden believed he was lied to when he wasn't given a big extension from the team, and it led to him publicly demanding a trade on multiple occasions. While being booed heavily, Harden helped his Clippers beat the 76ers 108-107 in Philly.
In this article, we are going to rank the five most iconic NBA revenge games ever. These players all left their teams in less than ideal circumstances, but they certainly displayed their talent when first returning to their old stomping grounds.
5. James Harden returns to Oklahoma City
While Harden just finished a big revenge game, this is not the first time he has had to return against an old team. Harden has gained a reputation over the last few years for requesting trades and abandoning ship, and it has made him one of the most hated players around the league. His departure from his first team cannot be pitted on him, though.
The Oklahoma City Thunder of the early 2010s had one of the most exciting young cores the NBA has ever seen. The team made the NBA Finals in 2012 with 23 year olds Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and 22 year olds Harden and Serge Ibaka. Harden was the team's sixth-man at this point, but his scoring prowess had already been put on display at the highest level.
Harden averaged 16.8 points per game for the Thunder in what was his third year with the team. It led to a Sixth Man of the Year Award and a big decision for Oklahoma City with what they were going to do with their young star. With so many young players needing big paydays, the Thunder had some tough financial decisions to make. It was unlikely the team was going to be able to pay all of their big four, so they decided to trade Harden to the Houston Rockets, effectively signaling that they prioritized Ibaka over the shooting guard.
Harden technically had a couple of games against his former team before Feb. 20, 2013, but that is the game where he truly got his revenge. Harden showed the Oklahoma City front office that they made the wrong decision by dropping 46 points on his old team. He shot 7/8 from three-point land, and even hit a step back dagger late in the fourth quarter.
This wasn't Harden's first game against the Thunder, and it was on his home court and not back in Oklahoma City, so we wouldn't be upset if you don't count it as a true revenge game. His performance was so impressive and clearly motivated by the Thunder's decision to trade him, though, that we decided to include it. After all, Harden set his then career high in scoring in this game, and it directly led to the guard establishing himself as one of the best players in the league.
4. Tom Chambers returns to Seattle
In the modern era – the player empowerment era – it is normal to see star players jump ship and sign elsewhere in free agency. That wasn't always the case, though. Previously, players stuck with their the teams that drafted them unless they were traded, as unrestricted free agency wasn't a thing. Teams would be compensated if their players signed elsewhere in free agency, which meant the best players would simply stick with their teams.
That changed in 1988, when unrestricted free agency allowed players to sign wherever they wanted when their contracts were up. Tom Chambers was the first to do this. His Seattle Supersonics had been pushing him out the door for years by adding players at his position, so the power forward bolted and signed a deal with the Phoenix Suns.
Chambers took his game to new heights once he was allowed to thrive with the Suns, and Chambers proved as much when he took on the Supersonics in his revenge game. Chambers had 28 points and 11 rebounds in his first game against Seattle, and he followed that up with 27 points in his first game playing at Seattle.
3. Vince Carter returns to Toronto
Vince Carter's run with the Toronto Raptors was iconic, but he would receive poor treatment from their fans for years after being traded to the New Jersey Nets. Carter always came to play when he came back home, though.
In his first game back in Toronto, Carter dropped 39 points in a 101-90 victory. Carter helped orchestrate a 14-point comeback that was vital in keeping the Nets playoff hopes alive. In the years to come, Carter would hit not one but two game-winners on Toronto's court. Carter even knocked the Raptors out of the playoffs years later in 2007, illustrating how he had more than just a revenge game, but more of a revenge-driven career going forward against his old team.
2. Kevin Durant returns to Oklahoma City
Arguably the most heavily scrutinized decision in NBA history was when Kevin Durant left the Thunder for a Golden State Warriors team that won 73 games and beat him in the Western Conference Finals. While Durant wound up having loads of success with the Warriors, his decision to join the team has always been viewed as the easy way out by a lot of critics.
Durant's departure was devastating for Thunder fans, but no one was effected more than his Oklahoma City running mate, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook plays with his heart on his sleeve, and he is never afraid to speak his mind. He was clearly hurt by Durant's decision, and he made that known.
Westbrook famously posted a picture of cupcakes on Instagram. While the post was meant to show his celebration of Independence Day, there was a deeper meaning to the post, as Thunder players used the term “cupcake” to describe when players were acting soft. That is exactly what Westbrook and the Thunder thought of Durant's decision to join the Thunder, but the four-time scoring champion was still one of the best players in the world.
He proved that in his revenge tour against Oklahoma City. Durant scored 39 points in his fifth game with the Warriors, which was the first time he played his old team. Then, in his first game back in Oklahoma City, Durant dropped 34 more points. Westbrook wasn't going to let Durant get away with his decision easily, though. The two went back and forth and got into a number of physical and verbal altercations. Westbrook even scored 67 points combined in those two games. Ultimately, though, Durant had a successful revenge tour, as his team won both of those games.
1. LeBron James returns to Cleveland
The biggest offseason decision in NBA history was, in fact, ‘The Decision.' LeBron James, a kid out of Akron, Ohio, was the biggest prospect in the history of the sport. As fate would have it, he was drafted by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, instantly making him the hometown hero.
In his first seven years in the NBA, James wasn't able to bring home a championship for Cleveland, but he did establish himself as the best player in the NBA. However, he became a free agent in 2010 and decided to form a big three elsewhere. He signed with the Miami Heat, betraying Cavaliers fans everywhere. The decision resulted in fans publicly displaying their disapproval of James' departure, most famously with the burning of James' jerseys.
James obviously went on to wreak havoc with the Heat. He won two championships with the team and cemented his legacy as one of the best players in NBA history. All was forgiven when James eventually re-joined the Cavaliers in 2014 and delivered on his promise to bring the team a championship in 2016, but in his revenge game as a member of the Heat against the Cavaliers, there was a lot of tension in the building.
James' Heat took on the Cavaliers in Cleveland for the first time on Dec. 2, 2010, in what was the biggest homecoming in sports history. It was one of the biggest games in James' career, and he didn't disappoint. James had 38 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in the 118-90 win. The arena was full of anti-LeBron propaganda and signs, but in the end, James got the last laugh.
Follow Us
Subscribe