Breaking up is hard to but very easy to arrive. Nobody can support that point more than today’s sports superstars. While these individuals earn millions of dollars on a regular basis, that money actually steers their personal and professional relationships to the end and sometimes to new beginnings. Look at some of the most memorable breakups in sports:
Tiger Woods and his wife
No matter how you feel about the sport of golf, Tiger Woods’ 2009 golf club incident made you appreciate it a little bit more. In November of that year, Woods was attacked by his then-wife Elin Nordegren, after it was discovered he was cheating with a dirty laundry list of women which included quite a few Hooters waitresses and random groupies. It was quite the shocker for someone like Woods, who has always been seen as a premiere role model, in addition to a dominant force in golf. The real “break up” came from the endorsements he lost as well as how bad he fell off of his game entirely. Tiger has never been the same since and might never be again.
New Flame: Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts
When Peyton Manning injured his neck in 2011, many people thought nothing of it, until the Colts lost a ton of games to get the number one pick where Stanford QB prospect Andrew Luck was available. Well that possibility became a reality when the Colts cut Manning and went after Luck in hopes of rebuilding their franchise. It was not the worst thing in the world for either parties as they found success in their new ways. The Colts managed to get back into their postseason ways with Luck behind the wheel at QB. As for Manning, he revived his career with three straight playoff appearances, which included a spot in the Super Bowl and a MVP award in 2013.
Kobe/Shaq
In 1996, the Los Angeles received a double gift when they drafted high school phenom Kobe Bryant right out of high school and landed former Orlando Magic center Shaquille O’ Neal in free agency. Eventually the two players formed a dominant force that brought the Lakers three straight championships and putting them in the conversation as one of the greatest duos in NBA history. However, all was not it seemed to be. Amidst their championship there were rumors that Kobe and Shaq were bickering with each other. The rumors soon became true and and sides were chosen. The Lakers sided with Kobe and sent O’ Neal and his talents to South Beach. It was not long before Shaq won a championship with his new team before fading out with other basement-feeding teams. As for Bryant, he continued with the semi-rebuilding Lakers but eventually won two championships himself.
Lebron’s first divorce
NBA all-star Lebron James played his first seven seasons in the league as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and took the franchise to new heights. But that all went south in 2010 when he announced on a live television he would be heading down to Miami to play alongside Dwayne Wade for the Heat. It was a tough loss for the city of Cleveland and they let the world know it. Video surfaced of fans burning jerseys and walking around banners tearing down the image of who they once considered their king. They could not stand to watch their hometown product abandon them and go to four straight Finals while they sat at the bottom of the league each year with no plausible escape. Eventually, Lebron came back to the Cavaliers in 2014 and the city welcomed him back with open arms and less smoke.
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