12 Athletes Who Left One Team and Became Champions Somewhere Else

Walking out the door is supposed to be the risky move. For these 12 players, the new jersey came with a championship, and the records back up every one of them.

Some were traded, some were released, and some simply hit free agency and went. A few were chasing their first ring, while others were already champions who found another gear somewhere new. The details are stranger than the final scores suggest, and the last entry starts with a move that stunned an entire fan base.

#12 – Gary Payton Finally Got His Ring in Miami

Gary Payton spent more than a decade in Seattle as “The Glove,” one of the most feared defenders in basketball. He even reached the 1996 Finals with the SuperSonics, only to lose to Michael Jordan’s Bulls.

Seattle traded him to Milwaukee in 2003, and he passed through the Lakers and Celtics before signing with the Miami Heat as a veteran free agent in 2005. By 2006 he was a role player in his 16th NBA season, coming off the bench behind Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal.

Miami lost the first two games of the Finals to the Dallas Mavericks, then won four straight to take the series in six. Payton, who had chased the title for so long, finally got it as a supporting piece.

#11 – Moses Malone Delivered the Sixers’ First Title in 16 Years

Moses Malone left the Houston Rockets in 1982 and landed with the Philadelphia 76ers. That year he won league MVP, averaging 24.5 points and 15.3 rebounds.

Philadelphia had been a talented team that kept falling short. Malone gave it the rebounding muscle it had lacked in earlier Finals losses.

He had predicted a sweep through the playoffs, with his famous “fo’, fo’, fo’.” The Sixers went 12-1 instead, then swept the Lakers in the Finals, and Malone took Finals MVP.

#10 – Jason Kidd Brought Leadership and a Title to Dallas

Jason Kidd left the New Jersey Nets in a 2008 trade and returned to the Dallas Mavericks, where he had started his career. It was a homecoming, but it was also the start of a long wait.

In 2011, in his 17th NBA season, Kidd finally got there. Dallas beat the Miami Heat of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in six games, and it was Kidd’s first championship.

He did not need to carry the scoring. He steadied the team’s tempo and defense while Dirk Nowitzki did the heavy lifting against Miami’s stars.

Why it worked: Kidd’s experience let the younger Mavericks focus on their own jobs while he ran the show.

#9 – Charles Woodson Left the Raiders and Won a Super Bowl in Green Bay

Charles Woodson spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Oakland Raiders and never won a title. He signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in 2006.

Four seasons later, he was part of the defense that carried Green Bay to Super Bowl XLV. The Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 for the only championship of Woodson’s career.

Fast Facts

• Eight seasons with the Raiders, no championship
• Signed with Green Bay as a free agent in 2006
• Super Bowl XLV: Packers 31, Steelers 25
• His only title came with the Packers

He did not get to finish it on the field. Woodson broke his collarbone in the second quarter and watched the rest from the sideline.

A change of scenery gave a veteran defender a second act, and it ended with a Lombardi Trophy.

#8 – Peyton Manning Signed with Denver and Captured Another Lombardi Trophy

The Indianapolis Colts released Peyton Manning in 2012, ending one of the most famous partnerships in NFL history. He signed with the Denver Broncos as a free agent and threw for 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns in his first season there.

Denver reached Super Bowl XLVIII in the 2013 season but lost to Seattle. The payoff came after the 2015 season, when the Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50.

It was Manning’s final season, and his second Super Bowl title after the one he won with the Colts. The five-time MVP had proven that a new team could still produce a championship late in a career.

#7 – Anthony Davis Was Traded to the Lakers and Won Immediately

Anthony Davis pushed his way out of New Orleans, and the Pelicans traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019. A year later he was celebrating in the Orlando bubble.

Alongside LeBron James, Davis averaged 27.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in the 2020 playoffs. He hit a buzzer-beating three in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against Denver.

The Lakers then beat the Miami Heat in six games for the franchise’s 17th title. It was Davis’s first championship and one of the quickest paybacks from a blockbuster trade in recent memory.

#6 – Jrue Holiday’s Trade to Milwaukee Ended a Long Title Drought

The New Orleans Pelicans traded Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks in November 2020. Milwaukee wanted an elite perimeter defender to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns in six games in the 2021 Finals, and it was their first championship since 1971. Holiday made a late Game 5 steal and lobbed it to Giannis for a dunk, one of the signature plays of the series.

Quick Compare

• Anthony Davis: traded in 2019, won the 2020 title with the Lakers over Miami in six games
• Jrue Holiday: traded in November 2020, won the 2021 title with the Bucks over Phoenix in six games
• Danny Green: traded in 2018, won the 2019 title with Toronto over Golden State in six games

His value showed up in two-way play more than in raw scoring. Holiday’s willingness to take on whatever the Bucks needed helped Milwaukee break through.

#5 – Danny Green Left San Antonio and Won Rings in Toronto and Los Angeles

Danny Green already had a ring from the Spurs’ 2014 title. In 2018, San Antonio traded him to the Toronto Raptors in the same deal that sent Kawhi Leonard north.

Green started in the 2019 Finals as Toronto beat the Golden State Warriors in six games. That gave him a second championship and the first of two with his new teams.

He signed with the Lakers in 2019 and added a third ring in 2020 when they beat the Miami Heat. His spacing and defensive versatility fit two very different title teams without him needing to be the primary scorer.

#4 – Shaquille O’Neal Left Orlando and Dominated with the Lakers

Shaquille O’Neal left the Orlando Magic and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in 1996. The titles took a few years to arrive.

When they did, they came in bulk. Shaq won Finals MVP in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and he averaged 38 points and 16.7 rebounds in the 2000 Finals against Indiana.

The Lakers won three consecutive championships alongside Kobe Bryant. Shaq’s physical dominance finally had elite perimeter talent around it, and few defenses could handle both at once.

#3 – Kawhi Leonard Departed San Antonio and Delivered Toronto Its First Title

Kawhi Leonard was already a champion and a Finals MVP with the Spurs when San Antonio traded him to the Toronto Raptors in 2018. In Toronto, he made himself a legend.

He averaged 30.5 points in the 2019 playoffs. In Game 7 of the second round against Philadelphia, his buzzer-beater bounced on the rim four times before dropping.

Toronto then beat a Warriors team hit hard by injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, and the Raptors won the first championship in franchise history. Leonard was Finals MVP again, and he became the first player to win Finals MVP with two different franchises.

Why It Stands Out

• Finals MVP honors with both the Spurs and the Raptors
• The first player to win Finals MVP with two different franchises
• 30.5 points per game in the 2019 playoffs
• Toronto’s first championship in franchise history

#2 – Kevin Durant Walked Away from OKC and Won Back-to-Back Titles in Golden State

Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent in 2016 after nine seasons with the franchise in Oklahoma City. Many fans never forgave the decision.

The results were immediate. Durant averaged 35.2 points in the 2017 Finals as Golden State beat Cleveland in five games, and he earned Finals MVP.

The Warriors swept the Cavaliers in 2018, and Durant took Finals MVP again. His scoring turned an already elite team into a dynasty.

#1 – Tom Brady Left New England and Won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay

Tom Brady spent 20 seasons with the New England Patriots and won six Super Bowls. In 2020, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent, and it stunned the football world.

At 43, Brady threw for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns in his first regular season with Tampa. Then he led the Buccaneers to Super Bowl LV, where they beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. Brady threw three touchdown passes and was named Super Bowl MVP.

At a Glance

• 20 seasons and six Super Bowls in New England
• Signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent in 2020
• Super Bowl LV: Buccaneers 31, Chiefs 9
• Three touchdown passes and Super Bowl MVP honors

The game was played in Tampa, which made the Buccaneers the first team to play a Super Bowl in its own home stadium. It was Brady’s seventh ring, and the first one without Bill Belichick on the sideline.

The Bottom Line

Every name on this list walked away from one team and ended up holding a trophy with another. Some were pushed out, some forced their way out, and some simply hit the market.

The scripts differed, but each move came down to timing and fit. The right players around them turned a departure into a championship.