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Changing sceneries is getting more and more common among NBA stars. As a result, it isn't surprising anymore if a star decides to leave his original team for greener pastures elsewhere to win an elusive NBA title. However, given the unpredictable landscape of the league, there are times when a star decides to return and come back at full circle. Here are the 10 greatest NBA stars who returned to their original teams.
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10. Joe Johnson
Joe Johnson was originally drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 10th overall pick in 2001. However, his initial stint saw him just play 48 games for the Celtics as Boston traded him his rookie season. Coming in full circle, after becoming a seven-time NBA All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets, Johnson ended his career with Boston. His final season saw him play just one game with the Celtics before calling it a career.
9. Chris Webber
After getting drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft, Chris Webber was immediately sent to the Golden State Warriors in a deal for Penny Hardaway. Here, Webber wasted no time in making his presence felt by taking Rookie of the Year honors and elevating the Warriors into playoff relevancy.
However, butting heads with coach Don Nelson forced him to leave for greener pastures. After that, Webber blossomed into a star for the Washington Bullets, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Detroit Pistons. But before hanging up his sneakers for good, Webber played his final season in the league with the first NBA team he played for.
8. Steve Nash
Steve Nash wasn't exactly playing like a first-round prospect in his first rodeo with the Phoenix Suns, averaging just 6.4 points per game across two seasons. As a result, the Suns traded their 15th overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks. With the Mavs, Nash finally found his footing in the NBA. But after six seasons with the Mavs, they traded Nash back to Phoenix.
Returning to Phoenix as an elite guard, Nash became the face of the Suns franchise enroute to back-to-back MVP awards. As the centerpiece of the Suns offense, Nash became one of the best facilitators in the league by leading the NBA in assists in five different seasons on top of several competitive playoff runs.
7. Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd was the second overall pick selected by the Dallas Mavericks at the 1994 NBA Draft. While Kidd showcased his potential as a playmaker, he was never on the same page with the franchise. After just three seasons, the front office had enough, and they traded Kidd away to the Suns.
The 10-time All-Star starred for the several teams including the Suns and the New Jersey Nets before Dallas traded for Kidd in exchange for Devin Harris. Although Kidd was no longer in his prime, he still did enough to help his original team win an NBA title in 2011. It was one of the most difficult paths to a championship.
6. Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard, who was originally selected sixth overall at the 2012 NBA Draft, played his best years with the Portland Trail Blazers. Although there was little playoff success, Lillard was the face of the franchise who made Portland relevant in a tough Western Conference.
But in chasing an elusive ring, the nine-time All-Star requested a trade that landed him with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he won an NBA Cup title. But later that year in the playoffs, Lillard suffered a torn Achilles, which made the Bucks eventually waive him. On the bright side, this has paved the way for Lillard to wear the Blazers uniform again once he returns to full health.
5. Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson was an undisputed superstar in Philadelphia. In fact, it’s the same place the 11-time All-Star took home MVP honors and led the team to a Finals appearance in the same year. However, after playoff failures, frustration took its toll, and The Answer wanted out.
This led him to star with Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets before brief stints with the Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies. However, after Iverson struggled to find success elsewhere, the Sixers picked up the former MVP in what was his final stint in the NBA.
4. Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett was the biggest silver lining of a bottom-feeding Minnesota Timberwolves franchise for more than a decade after they drafted him with the fifth overall pick. While Garnett was individually dominant, he found little playoff success outside of a Western Conference Finals appearance.
As a result, he was traded to the Boston Celtics, where he immediately won the coveted NBA title. After a stint with the Celtics, Garnett played for the Brooklyn Nets before returning to Minnesota for his final stint in the NBA. Although he wasn’t productive, his return injected some much-needed nostalgia to the franchise. At the same time, he served as a mentor to younger players.
3. Scottie Pippen
While the Chicago Bulls were mainly led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen cemented himself as the best second option in NBA history. Pippen played an instrumental role as a premiere two-way star en route to six NBA titles.
But come 1999, the Bulls' core was disbanded, and Pippen looked for opportunities elsewhere by having stints with the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers. Unfortunately, Pippen would never win a chip outside of the Windy City. As a result, Pippen returned to where it all started for him in Chicago as a veteran figure of a young Bulls squad during the 2003-04 season.
2. Dwyane Wade
Ever since the Miami Heat selected him in the 2003 NBA Draft with the fifth overall pick, Dwyane Wade was the franchise cornerstone who helped Miami capture three NBA titles. In fact, it could be argued that Wade is the best player in Heat history. The three-time NBA champion tried to win elsewhere when he played for the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, where he briefly reunited with LeBron James.
However, after unproductive stints, the Cavs surprisingly traded Wade back to Miami midway through the 2017-18 season, where he kept the franchise competitive after the Big Three era. Furthermore, this allowed The Flash to retire as a Heat player with a fitting sendoff.
1. LeBron James
Failing to fulfill his promise to his hometown, LeBron James infamously took his talents to South Beach to form the Big Three with Wade and Chris Bosh for the Heat. But after winning a pair of NBA titles in Miami, James announced his return to play for Cleveland for the 2014-15 season.
Just one season after making his return to the Cavaliers, James led the franchise to its first NBA title after digging themselves out of a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors to fulfill his promise. It marked the first time in league history a Finals team achieved the feat. Furthermore, James led Cleveland to a total of four consecutive Finals appearances.
