Athletes Who Played for Their Biggest Rival

Perhaps the worst trade in sports history, the Boston Red Sox traded pitcher/slugger Babe Ruth to their rivals, the New York Yankees, for cash considerations in 1919. Ruth helped the Red Sox win three World Series in his brief tenure in Boston. After leaving, he helped the Yankees win four titles, while the Red Sox failed to win the World Series for 86 years in what became known as the Curse of the Bambino.

Even though Brad Park was one of the NHL’s best defensemen in his 20s with the New York Rangers, the team shipped him to their rivals the Boston Bruins in 1975 in pursuit of a Stanley Cup. The Rangers got Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais but still failed to win a title until all involved had retired.

Brett Favre was often on the fence about retirement during his later years with the Green Bay Packers. When the team finally moved on with new QB Aaron Rodgers, Favre admitted he wanted revenge. The Packers held his rights and traded him to the Jets. After a year in New York, Favre played for Green Bay’s division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, and nearly led them to the Super Bowl in 2010.

Darrelle Revis played for the New York Jets for a total of eight years in two separate stints. In between the two, Revis went to the Jets’ bitter rivals, the New England Patriots. Revis made his fourth All-Pro team and won the Super Bowl, a feat he never accomplished with the Jets.

Dennis Rodman became an NBA star as a member of the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s. The team was famed for its physical play — especially against budding superstar Michael Jordan in the playoffs. But Rodman would go on to help Jordan and the Chicago Bulls win three championships with his top-tier defense and rebounding ability.

DeSean Jackson was one of the NFL’s top deep-ball threats as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. Yet the team cut Jackson after signing him to a big contract. Jackson got his revenge, signing with the Eagles’ NFC East rivals, the Washington Redskins, and burning the Philadelphia secondary for the next three seasons.

Dexter Fowler had a career year in 2016, making his lone All-Star team and helping the Cubs win their first World Series in over a century. He cashed in on his success by signing an $82.5 million contract with Chicago’s arch rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite the rivalry, Cubs fans cheered Fowler when he returned to Wrigley Field in 2017.

After leading the Philadelphia Eagles for over a decade, franchise QB Donovan McNabb was traded to rival Washington for draft picks. McNabb played in Washington for just one season before moving to the Minnesota Vikings, then retiring.

After facing each other repeatedly in the playoffs in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Knicks and Bullets became fierce rivals — especially between the Bullets’ Earl Monroe and the Knicks’ Walt Frazier. After a while, Monroe became fed up with Baltimore and demanded a trade. The Bullets dealt him to the Knicks in 1971. In 1973, Monroe and the Knicks won the NBA Championship.

Jaromir Jagr was nothing short of superb in his 11 seasons as a Pittsburgh Penguin, winning two Stanley Cups to go along with his litany of All-Star games and individual trophies. After playing in Russia for several years, Jagr returned to the NHL but opted to play in Philadelphia when the Flyers outbid their cross-state rival for his services.

Johnny Damon cemented himself as a Boston Red Sox legend in 2004, when he and his band of fellow self-proclaimed “idiots” brought Boston its first World Series title in 86 years. Many Boston fans felt betrayed when Damon signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 2006. After retiring, Damon even said he roots for the Yankees over the Sox.

The Giants and Dodgers have been rivals in New York and again in California after both teams relocated, and no one has stirred up this bi-coastal rivalry more than Juan Marichal. In 1965, the Hall of Fame pitcher was batting when a testy exchange led to him hitting Dodger catcher Johnny Roseboro in the head with a bat. Despite this violent incident, Marichal briefly played for the Dodgers in 1975, the last year of his career.

Lou Brock appeared to be an average player as a member of the Chicago Cubs. Only after he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals for relatively little did he blossom into the Hall of Fame player baseball fans know today. Brock would go on to torment the Cubs, batting .334 against them in his career.

Mark Recchi was a part of the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia rivalry for 17 seasons — 10 with the Pens and seven with the Flyers. All of his best years came in Pennsylvania, including the 1991 Stanley Cup winning year with Pittsburgh.

Michael Finley was a great player in his nine years as a Dallas Maverick, making two All-Star teams. That made it all the more agonizing for Mavs fans when they watched Finley help their in-state rivals, the San Antonio Spurs, win the 2007 NBA Championship.

Phil Esposito was a true superstar in Boston, making eight All-Star teams, leading the NHL in points five times, and winning two Stanley Cups and two Hart Trophies as league MVP. Yet the Bruins shipped him to their rivals the New York Rangers — a move that seemed to stun Esposito and others involved in the trade, like young defenseman Brad Park.

Though they are thousands of miles apart, the Celtics and Lakers met in so many NBA Finals that they became rivals. Point guard Rajon Rondo helped the Celtics win their most recent title in 2008. He was traded in 2014 and bounced around to several other teams, before signing with the Lakers in 2018.

Roger Clemens established himself as one of the best pitchers in MLB history as a member of the Boston Red Sox, winning three Cy Young awards and an AL MVP. Yet he only managed to win championships as a New York Yankee, when he helped the Bronx Bombers win two World Series titles in 1999 and 2000.

After establishing himself as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL in San Francisco, Terrell Owens was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. As a 49er, Owens antagonized the Cowboys by celebrating on the Cowboys logo at midfield and torching the Dallas defense. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still signed him to a three-year contract.

Like some other players on this list, Wade Boggs made his name as a member of the Boston Red Sox, but to win a title he had to go to their bitter rivals. Boggs racked up five batting titles in Boston but left the team in 1992 and signed with the Yankees as a free agent. Boggs won his lone World Series with New York in 1996 at age 38.