Top New England Sports Figures That “Pulled a LeBron James”

Bill Belichick

Coach

Left Patriots in 1996, Returned in 2000.

Belichick served as the Patriots' defensive coordinator during the 1996 season, and he and head coach Bill Parcells led the Pats to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Packers.

Belichick went with Parcells to New York after that season and was the defensive coordinator of the Jets from 1997 to 1999. 

Prior to the 2000 season, Belichick was hired by the Jets to replace Parcells, but resigned one day later to instead accept the Patriots' top job.

5 Super Bowl appearances and 3 championships later, Belichick has established himself as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.

Deion Branch

Wide Receiver

Left Patriots in 2006, Returned in 2010.

Branch was the 2005 Super Bowl MVP and had become Tom Brady's favorite target in New England, but a contract dispute in the 2006 offseason led the Patriots to deal Branch to the Seattle Seahawks for a 1st round draft pick.

Branch struggled to maintain his form (and his health) in Seattle, but returned to New England in 2010 when the Patriots needed a receiver to replace Randy Moss, who they had just dealt to the Minnesota Vikings.

Branch was in the twilight of his career at the point of his return, but his chemistry with Brady remained, and he helped the Patriots get back to the Super Bowl in the 2011-12 season. 

Otis Smith

Defensive Back

Left Patriots in 1996, Returned in 2000.

Smith was a Belichick favorite and had a key "Pick 6" in the 1996 AFC Title Game to help the Patriots reach the Super Bowl.  He followed Belichick to New York in 1997 and then back to New England in 2000.

In 2001, Smith again helped the Patriots reach the Super Bowl, and this time they finished the job, knocking off the St. Louis Rams and their historically great offense.

Russ Francis

Tight End

Left Patriots in 1980, Returned in 1987.

Francis made 3 Pro Bowl's with the Patriots from 1977-1979 and was one of the top tight ends of his era.  

Francis retired in 1980 after a financial dispute with the Patriots over his Pro Bowl bonus money, but he returned to football in 1982 with the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers released Francis in 1987, and he signed with New England before retiring after getting injured in 1988.

Raymond Berry

Coach

Left Patriots in 1981, Returned in 1984.

Berry had a Hall of Fame career as a player with the Baltimore Colts in the 50's and 60's, and he served as the Patriots' wide receivers coach from 1978 to 1981.

The whole coaching staff was fired after the 1981 season, and Berry left football for 2 years before returning in the middle of the 1984 season to replace the fired Ron Meyer as the head coach in New England.

Berry helped the Patriots break free from their laughingstock status and reach the Super Bowl in the next season, their first (and most embarrassing) Super Bowl appearance as a franchise. 

Antoine Walker

Forward

Left Celtics in 2003, Returned in 2005.

Walker was drafted 6th overall by the Celtics in 1996 and became a fan favorite almost immediately, forming a solid 1-2 punch with Paul Pierce in the lat 90's and early 2000's.

In 2003, the Celtics traded Walker to the Dallas Mavericks, who later traded him to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Celtics brought Walker back in 2005, striking a deal with the Hawks for one of their former faces of the franchise.  Walker helped Boston reach the playoffs in 2005 and averaged 16 points per game, but he was traded again before the 2005-06 season.

Tim Thomas

Goalie

Left Bruins in 2004, Returned in 2005.

Thomas wasn't a key piece of the Bruins' future plans when he debuted in 2002, and he left the team in 2004 to sign with a professional team in Finland and avoid the NHL lockout.

Thomas had an all-world season overseas, and when the NHL resumed play in 2005 the Bruins decided to try and re-sign Thomas.

It took some time from there, but Thomas would become the backbone of the Bruins' Stanley Cup team in the 2010-11 season, and he won Vezina Trophies as the top goalie in the NHL in 2009 and 2011.

Brian Rolston

Forward

Left Bruins in 2004, Returned in 2011.

Ralston was a highly regarded "sniper" with the Bruins in the early 2000s and had one of the best slap shots in the NHL.

Ralston left in 2004 as a free agent and signed with the Minnesota Wild.  He posted three 30-goal campaigns in Minnesota before moving on to the New Jersey Devils and then the New York Islanders.

The Bruins traded for Ralston during the 2011-12 season and hoped he'd help the team re-capture the Stanley Cup as his career wound to a close.  The Bruins were knocked out of the Eastern Conference Playoffs by the Washington Capitals, and Ralston retired.

John Farrell

Manager

Left Red Sox in 2010, Returned in 2013.

Farrell served as Red Sox pitching coach from 2007 to 2010 and helped groom pitchers like Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz for the Red Sox.

The Blue Jays hired Farrell prior to the 2011 season to be their manager, a post he held for 2 seasons.

When the Red Sox fired Terry Francona after the 2012 season, they immediately targeted Farrell as his successor and ultimately traded for their new skipper.

Farrell was a finalist for American League Manager of the Year in 2013 and guided the Sox to a shocking World Series championship season.

George Scott

First Baseman

Left Red Sox in 1971, Returned in 1977.

Scott was a formidable slugger for the Red Sox early on in his career.  He started the 1966 All-Star Game and clobbered 27 home runs in that season.

After launching 24 dingers in 1971, Scott was traded to Milwaukee, where he continued to be productive.  He was traded back to the Red Soc before the 1977 season, in which he went on to blast 33 home runs.

Scott is Boston's all-time leader in games played at first base with 988, and he was enshrined into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006.  He hit 271 home runs in his career, 154 of which were in a Red Sox uniform. 

Dennis Eckersley

Pitcher

Left Red Sox in 1984, Returned in 1998.

Eckersley won 20 games in 1978 for the Red Sox, but his velocity dropped and his production faded in the early 1980's, leading the Sox to trade him to the Chicago Cubs in 1984 (for Bill Buckner).

Eckersley flopped in Chicago, but the combination of Tony La Russa's specialized bullpen and a filthy slider Eck developed as a relief pitcher led Eckersley to incredible success as a closer.

He returned to the Red Sox for his final season in 1998 and put the final touches on a Hall of Fame resume (390 saves, 197 wins).  He now is featured on NESN Red Sox programing. 

Shalrie Joseph

Midfielder

Left Revolution in 2012, Returned in 2014.

Shalrie Joseph is the Revolution's all-time appearances leader (263) and was a staple of the franchise throughout the 2000's.

Joseph was traded to Chivas U.S.A. in 2012 after 9 seasons in New England. Chivas U.S.A. traded him to Seattle in 2013, but the Revolution claimed him off waivers this year when Seattle opted to move on.

Joseph has yet to suit up for New England in 2014 due to a calf injury, but even at age 36 there is optimism that he can help the team.

The defensive central midfielder is an 8-time MLS All-Star, a 4-time Best XI selection, and was an MVP finalist in 2009.