Comeback kings and queens who defied the odds

Michael Jordan

Widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan famously signed for the Chicago White Sox baseball team after unexpectedly retiring from the NBA during his prime in 1993, and was given a minor-league contract.

But his baseball career never took off and he triumphantly returned to the court barely a year later, leading the Chicago Bulls to three more championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

The American, whose recent The Last Dance documentary about his career has stirred controversy, claimed he had lost the desire to play basketball after his father's death and wanted to do something different.

He retired again in 1998, before returning for a less memorable stint with the Washington Wizards in 2001.