White spoke to many teams and visited facilities, no differently than highly-sought after free agents today. The attention around White's free agency reached Sports Illustrated, who put the former Defensive Player of the Year on their cover with the caption: "The Reggie Game, teams are scrambling to give Reggie White the shirts off their backs." The first offseason of true NFL free agency was headlined by White, one of the best defensive ends in the league coming off a 14-sack season. Manning signed with the Broncos in 2012, staying in the AFC, a conference he played in his entire career. He missed the previous season due to a neck injury, but interest was still high for the four-time MVP.Īt least 12 teams contacted Manning, but the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals were seen as the leaders. It all came to a resolution near midnight on July 5 when the Clippers acquired Paul George to make room to sign Leonard.Īfter spending his entire career to that point with the Indianapolis Colts, Manning finally hit the market in 2012. The slightest of Leonard updates made headlines on social media. He also didn't provide a concrete timetable for his decision. Leonard operated in secrecy similar to Ohtani, limiting leaks and providing minuscule details of his plans. The Raptors, Knicks, Clippers and Lakers were all in the mix. The free agency buzz followed Leonard throughout the season, but reached new heights when he won his second title. The decision was heavily criticized, much like James' choice in 2010.Īlongside Durant, there wasn't a hotter name on the market in 2019 than Leonard, who was coming off a championship winning run with the Toronto Raptors. Durant met with the Thunder before hosting five teams at the Hamptons in New York - the Warriors, LA Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics and Heat.ĭurant shared his decision on the Fourth of July, telling the Players Tribune that he'd be signing with the Warriors, who won 73 games and eliminated the Thunder in the previous season. He averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and five assists with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the previous season. By joining the Heat, through a sign-and-trade with the Cavaliers, James arguably began the player empowerment era of the NBA.Ī free agent for the first time in his career, the 27-year-old Durant was the jewel of the 2016 class. It all culminated in a special on ESPN called "The Decision" where James announced he'd be signing with Miami, sending shockwaves through the sports world. He entertained several teams that included the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, LA Clippers, then-New Jersey Nets plus the Cavaliers and Heat. James was coming off his second consecutive MVP season when he averaged 29.7 points, 8.6 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game. One of the more influential NBA free agency decisions came in 2010 when James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. Here are some of the most hyped free agency sagas since 2000 across MLB, the NBA, the WNBA and the NHL and since 1993 for the NFL (that's when the current form of free agency began). Ohtani announced his decision on Instagram. Acquiring Ohtani to go along with Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman elevates them in the conversation for World Series contenders. The Ohtani chase ended with the largest contract in MLB history - $700 million over 10 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also started 23 games on the mound with a 10-5 record and a 3.14 ERA, the second-lowest of his career. Ohtani had 44 home runs and 95 RBIs with a career-high. The Los Angeles Angels' two-way star is coming off a unanimous AL MVP season. Shohei Ohtani's free agency decision was one of the more closely watched in recent sports history. MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani is latest athlete with hyped free agency saga You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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