Richard Jefferson on Lillard trade: ‘Bucks look like trouble’ Richard Jefferson says the Bucks have become his “too early favorite” with the addition of Damian Lillard. It’s time for the Milwaukee Bucks.
On Wednesday, the Portland Trail Blazers traded longtime star Damian Lillard in a three-team deal that also includes the Phoenix Suns.
Lillard, 33, will partner with Giannis Antetokounmpo and leave Portland after 11 seasons. He led the Trail Blazers to eight playoff berths, including the Western Conference Finals in 2019. He is first in team history in points and three-pointers.
The seven-time All-Star’s departure from the team seemed inevitable when he officially requested a trade in early July, but the news still shook the NBA world.
Lillard joins a group of stars to leave the streak where they became famous.
Here’s a look at other stars who made news when they left teams they were with for at least 10 seasons.
Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP, started 15 seasons under center for the Green Bay Packers, including 11 playoff appearances and a Super Bowl championship. He joined a New York Jets team that was plagued by losses, hadn’t made the playoffs in 12 years, the longest active drought in the nation’s four major sports.
It’s arguably the biggest trade in team history and is reminiscent of Brett Favre’s trade with the Packers in 2008.
Tom Brady
Twenty years is a serious commitment. Just ask Tom Brady, who was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000 and spent 20 consecutive seasons with the team.
But in March 2020, TB12 shocked the sports world when he announced that it was time for a new act. The then-42-year-old, who is arguably the best quarterback of all time, confirmed on social media that he had signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Seeing the six-time Super Bowl champion suit up to play somewhere other than Gillette Stadium in the following NFL season was certainly odd — as was watching him hoist the Lombardi Trophy for another franchise after he won his seventh Super Bowl ring at the end of his first playoff run with the Bucs.
After two seasons in Tampa Bay, Brady announced his retirement, but the shock of his New England departure never quite wore off.
Brett Favre
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
When you think about Brett Favre, you think about the Green Bay Packers. The Hall of Fame quarterback spent 20 seasons in the NFL, and even though he retired in 2010 — a full decade ago! — he still holds numerous NFL records, including most consecutive starts by any player. Favre played for the Packers from 1992 to 2007, a whopping 16 seasons as the face of the franchise, culminating in him leading them to a championship by winning Super Bowl XXXI. He retired in March 2008 … until he changed his mind and the Packers curiously traded him to the New York Jets in August 2008. He played one season in New York before signing with the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers’ rival. Ah! He played in the 2009-2010 season and retired definitively in January 2011 after being injured during the 2010-2011 season.
Joe Montana
Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images
It seems unreal that Joe Montana played for a team other than the San Francisco 49ers. Montana won four Super Bowls (XVI, XIX, XXIII and XXIV) with the Niners, with whom he played for 14 years after being drafted in 1979. But Joe Cool’s NFL career actually lasted 16 seasons. The eight-time Pro Bowler was injured toward the end of his career, missing all of 1991-92 and most of 1992-93. When Montana returned healthy, Steve Young had already made a name for himself in San Francisco. Just before the 1993-94 season, the 49ers traded Montana to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he ended his career after two mediocre seasons. Montana retired in April 1995 and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2000.
Quote:
Russell Wilson: The Seattle Seahawks traded the QB who led their franchise to its only Super Bowl championship. Wilson, who spent 10 seasons with the Seahawks, became the first quarterback to start for a team he won in a Super Bowl (Super Bowl XLVIII), according to ESPN Stats and Information. Peyton Manning: Played four seasons with the Broncos after being cut by the Colts, winning Super Bowl 50 in his final season.
Johnny Unitas: Played four games with the Chargers after 17 seasons with the Baltimore Colts.
Emmitt Smith: After 13 years with the Cowboys, he spent two seasons with the Cardinals, scoring 11 touchdowns in 25 games.
Jerry Rice: After 16 years with the 49ers, Rice spent three and a half seasons with the Raiders and part of the final season with the Seahawks. He had 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns in his age-40 season.
When you think about Michael Jordan, it’s almost as if his middle name should be “Chicago Bulls.” MJ was in the NBA for 16 seasons, helping the Bulls to six NBA titles: in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Perhaps the best NBA player of all time, Jordan seemed destined to spend his entire career with the team that drafted him in 1984. Or was he? First, Jordan retired in October 1993 and had a brief stint in minor league baseball. The hiatus didn’t last long, and the NBA world was relieved when he simply said, “I’m back,” in a March 1995 press release. After a few stellar years with the Bulls, Jordan retired for the second time in January 1999. Jordan didn’t could stay away from basketball for a long time and joined the Washington Wizards in January 2000. But management was also not enough for him and he joined the Wizards.
Leave a Reply