Everyone loves a great comeback story. Whether it’s an athlete coming out of retirement to win a championship, the underdog coming from behind to knock down Goliath, or someone returning from a major injury, sports offer all kinds of comeback stories. Not all athletes can finish their careers on top, but for the ones that do? They can become icons.
With the sports world enthralled by Michael Jordan and The Last Dance on ESPN, there’s even more appreciation out there for what some athletes have done when they’ve made a comeback. Jordan led his team to three straight championships after coming out of retirement the first time, while quarterback Peyton Manning finished his career with a Super Bowl title after coming back from a major neck injury.
Over the years, many other athletes have walked away from the game they love, only to return for one more run or a few more years of glory before finishing again. Some of those comebacks have been more successful than others.
Now, boxer Mike Tyson might get in on the action after stepping out of the ring years ago. Judging by his Instagram videos and his recent appearance at All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothing, Tyson has kept himself in pretty good shape, so it’s not crazy to think he could strap on his boxing gloves again some time soon.
The greatest basketball player of all-time (yeah, we said it) may have had the greatest sports comeback ever. Even if you don’t think it was the best comeback, it certainly had the greatest results.
Jordan retired after the 1993-94 NBA season, hanging up his sneakers at the height of his career. He was by far the best player in the NBA, one of the most famous athletes on earth, and had won three straight NBA Championships with the Bulls. He left the game at his peak to go play…minor league baseball? Yes, that’s exactly what he did.
After dabbling in the Chicago White Sox system (the team was also owned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf), Jordan returned to the NBA with an absolutely perfect comeback message: “I’m back.”
Jordan had an incredible comeback, leading the Bulls to three more NBA championships and proving why he was the best NBA player of his generation. Later on, Jordan made yet another comeback, playing for two seasons with the Washington Wizards. While that comeback wasn’t as fruitful as his first, it only showed just how determined of an athlete he was—he even finished his final season averaging exactly 20 points per game.
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Floyd Mayweather
Over the years, Floyd “Money” Mayweather has gone into retirement multiple times, only to come out of it and stage a massive fight for a comeback.
His most recent comeback included one of his most profitable fights ever, his matchup with UFC fighter-turned-boxer Conor McGregor. The fight went to Round 10 before the referee called it in favor of “Money,” putting him in historical territory. The match didn’t just make Mayweather a ton of money — he reportedly earned $300 million from it — it also enabled Mayweather to finish his career with a 50-0 record.
It’s possible that Mayweather could make another comeback for a rematch with McGregor or someone else, but for now, he’s happily retired with his money, his titles, and his undefeated record.
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Tiger Woods
Between dealing with high-profile personal problems off the golf course and numerous injuries over his career, golfer Tiger Woods had a lot to come back from. After missing nearly two years while dealing with those personal issues and back injuries, Woods reached the mountaintop again.
In April 2019, Woods won The Masters to earn his 15th-career major championship win. While Woods had previously won his first tournament in five years at the Tour Championship in September 2018, the win at the Masters was his first major in 11 years. After dealing with back injuries that he thought may end his career, Woods was able to win his fifth Masters green jacket at Augusta—the same place where he won his first major in 1997.
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Peyton Manning
Even before Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts, he was considered to be one of the best quarterbacks of all time. What Manning added to that legacy after dealing with multiple potential career-ending neck injuries made him a first ballot lock for the Hall of Fame. Manning missed the whole 2011 season due to neck injuries and spinal fusion surgery, which basically ended his career in Indianapolis.
After Manning was cut, he signed with the Denver Broncos for his comeback and had one of the most prolific seasons in NFL history. During the 2013 season, Manning set records with nearly 5,500 passing yards and 55 touchdowns. To top it off, he led the team to a Super Bowl win in the 2015-16 season. Manning certainly knows how to finish a comeback.
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Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps was already the most decorated Olympic athlete ever when he decided to retire following the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. So naturally, Phelps decided to come back from his retirement a couple years later to get prepared for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, changing the way he trained, ate, and recovered to set himself up for another run of winning gold.
And winning is just what Phelps did for this comeback: He took home five more gold medals and one silver to give him 28 overall medals in his prolific career.
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Tom Brady
With six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots, Tom Brady has done things no other quarterback has done in NFL history. But in 2008, Brady’s career almost ended after an injury in the opening game of the season. Brady ended up tearing both the ACL and MCL in his left knee, had surgery and missed the whole season.
Brady had started 111 straight games to that point, and since he’s made his comeback, he hasn’t missed a game, winning three championships along the way. One of those wins was one of the greatest comebacks in sports history: Brady led the Patriots from a 28-3 deficit to win the Super Bowl over the Atlanta Falcons. Now, Brady is still going strong and will be 43 years old when he suits up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 season.
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Brett Favre
Gunslinging quarterback Brett Favre called it a career and retired in March 2008, finishing an incredible run with the Green Bay Packers that included a Super Bowl and multiple MVP awards.
When Favre decided to make a comeback a few months later, he had to find a new home, as the Packers had moved on to Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback (that’s worked out well). While Favre didn’t win another championship during his comeback, he played another three years between the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings, and led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game, losing to eventual Super Bowl champs Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.
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Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is one of the greatest athletes of all-time, and he also had one of the most incredible comeback runs in history.
Ali became an international star when he won the world heavyweight championship against Sonny Liston when he was just 22, but a few years later, he refused to enter the draft and didn’t box for over three years. Ali made his comeback and won his next two fights before losing to Joe Frazier, but his comeback run after that continued to be legendary, including his Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman and Thrilla in Manila, again taking on Frazier.
Ali ended up having a lengthy comeback, fighting until he was 39 and finishing with a 56-5 record.
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George Foreman
Legendary boxer George Foreman decided to step away from boxing back in 1977. After 10 years out of the ring, he made his return, despite being nearly 40 years old.
Foreman showed his incredible longevity after making a comeback, continuing to fight for another decade and adding to his all-time legacy. Foreman set a record by becoming the oldest living world heavyweight champion by beating Michael Moorer, who was 19 years Foreman’s junior at the time.
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Roger Clemens
The hometown comeback is another allure for athletes, and after winning two World Series titles with the New York Yankees, pitcher Roger Clemens retired from baseball for a year before returning.
Clemens spent his high school years in Houston and joined his hometown Astros in 2004. Clemens won his seventh Cy Young Award that season and later helped lead the Astros to the World Series in 2005, where the team lost to the White Sox. But even after retiring, Clemens proved he was still at the top of his game during his comeback.
