21 Athletes Who'd Look Weird In Another Team's Uniform
By Mike Cardillo
Chase Utley spent 13 years with the Phillies and appeared on track to spend his entire, borderline Hall of Fame career in Philadelphia. This week, the Phillies traded Utley to the Dodgers. Utley wearing blue, rather than red, will be an odd sight, although this is hardly the first time it’s happened in sports.
Michael Jordan came out of retirement (again) to play for the Washington Wizard. It’s easy to forget Patrick Ewing wore Seattle SuperSonics green and Hakeem Olajuwon retired in Toronto. Joe Namath finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams. Ray Bourque lifted the Stanley Cup wearing an Avalanche jersey. Steven Gerrard now plies his trade with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Emmitt Smith’s final 11 rushing touchdowns came in the Valley of the Sun. Brett Favre held on, post-Lambeau, to play for both the Jets and Vikings.
The list goes on and on.
In light of the Utley deal, let’s look around the current sports landscape at some players where it’d be jarring, for lack of a better word, to see wearing another team’s jersey or colors. As you might expect, it’s a list that leans heavy on veterans nearing the end of their careers and NFL quarterbacks.
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Kobe Bryant: Imagine how much different the last two decades in the NBA might have turned out if the (original) Charlotte Hornets didn’t trade Kobe on draft night to the Lakers? Kobe is a Laker through and through, making it’s hard to think of him playing for any other team. Granted this is a moot point since he’ll retire wearing purple and gold. Kobe Bryant on a team other than the Lakers? Nope.
Lionel Messi: Eventually there’s going to come a time when soccer’s GOAT plies his trade for somebody other than Barcelona. This is still a long way off, since Messi is only 28 and at the top of his game. When it happens, it’ll be a major shock to the system for soccer fans everywhere on planet Earth.
Tim Duncan: The 90s were a weird time for NBA jerseys. Duncan playing in teal or purple would have probably violated one or two of Newton’s laws of motion. Anyways, like Kobe, Duncan will retire a Spur — it’s the only fundamentally sound conclusion to his long, distinguished career.
Dirk Nowitzki: A penny for Mark Cuban’s thoughts if Nowitzki ever suited up for a team other than the Mavericks.
Felix Hernandez: Take a deep breath Mariners fans, King Felix is under contract until at least 2019. By that point he’ll be neck-and-neck with Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez in discussion for the all-time best Mariner. Hopefully by then Hernandez, who joined Seattle as a 20-year-old in 2006, will have at least 1/3 of an inning of postseason baseball on his resume.
Tom Brady: Next.
Eli Manning/Philip Rivers/Ben Roethlisberger: Since all three quarterbacks were drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft let’s lump them together. All three will probably finish out their careers in the same city, given Rivers inked an extension with San Diego over the weekend. Rivers and Manning were traded for each other, so if we want to split hairs they were on other teams for about 10 seconds, or at least long each for Eli and his parents to glumly pose with a Bolts jersey at Radio City Music Hall.
Russell Wilson/Andrew Luck: These two quarterbacks are only 26 and 25, respectively. In August 2015 you’d think both are pretty good bets to play for only one team … but Joe Montana left the 49ers and put together two decent seasons with the Chiefs when he was in his late 30s. Luck’s arrival in Indy ushered Peyton Manning out of town, so perhaps the cycle repeats in a decade.
Jonathan Toews/Henrik Lundquist: The faces of the Blackhawks and Rangers. Hockey players can play into their 40s, so Toews might not spend his entire career in a Chicago sweater. It would still be odd to see him skating elsewhere.
Tony Romo: Would #LOLRomo be as funny if he played for another team other than the Cowboys? We’ll probably never find out.
Joe Mauer/Dustin Pedroia: Born four months apart in 1983, strongoth players are under long term contracts, making it difficult to envision them on any other team strongut the Twins and Red Sox respectively.
Andrew McCutchen: Let’s hope baseball’s new economics allow the Pirates to keep their MVP centerfielder in Pittsburgh for his entire career.
Giancarlo Stanton: Fact No. 1: Stanton is under contract with the Marlins through 2028 when he’ll be 38. Fact No. 2: This is the Marlins we’re talking about, so odds he sees out the entire $325 million deal in South Florida are about as likely as Fantastic Four winning Best Picture. For whatever it’s worth, Luis Castillo has the most games played in Marlins history at 1,128. Stanton (708) should pass him soon enough, so long as he stays healthy.
Aaron Rodgers: Never say never, as we saw with Favre the Packers with a franchise icon to make way for a new one. Five or six years from now could we see Rodgers in Lions’ silver and Honolulu blue? Maybe. As long as Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL it likely keeps the Packers in position to draft his replacement any time soon. Favre was 38 by the time he left Green Bay for New York, something to remember. Rodgers scampering for extra yards on third down in anything but Packers green and gold would take some adjustment.
Tim Lincecum: It’s only a matter of time before The Freak leaves San Francisco, likely after this season when his contract is up. He’s been a well-below average pitcher four years running and sentiment is as good a reason as any that the Giants have kept him around. Lincecum and San Francisco seemed made for each other. Oh well, nothing lasts forever.
Stephen Curry: Curry’s only 27 and fresh off an NBA title with the Warriors. He’s a free agent after the 2016-17 season. Even so, right now it would be hard to envision him playing anywhere else but Golden State. If a young star is going to take the Kobe/Duncan/Dirk one franchise route, it’s probably Curry.
[Photos via Getty]