Sports Star Love Triangles Nobody Was Ready For

Every sport has its fair share of unwritten rules. For example, while the real rules of the NBA are to be respected by every player, there are also unwritten rules that most players know to follow, like not wearing a rival's shoe during a game. In an article titled "The Politics of Kicks," Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green shared that he would wear Lebron James' signature shoes because they were "comfortable." However, as he entered his second and third season, he made a change. "I'm battling with this dude. I can't wear these shoes anymore when I'm going up against him," he acknowledged.

While this rule — at the end of the day — is up to the player, there is one unwritten rule across just about every sport that should never be broken. Players should never find themselves involved with another teammate's wife or girlfriend. Athletes on the same team form special bonds and that can be ruined if one teammate decides to scandalously destroy a marriage or relationship. 

Unfortunately, this rule has reportedly been broken numerous times throughout the years, with tabloids writing up shocking stories of teammates caught in love triangles. Let's take a closer look at the teammates who once shared a love of the game, only to find themselves in nasty feuds for hooking up with another player's significant other.

Matt Barnes and Derek Fisher played on the Los Angeles Lakers together from 2010 to 2012. Though ESPN reported that the two were "very close," their friendship turned sour when Barnes learned that his ex-wife and mother of his two children, Gloria Govan, was in a relationship with Fisher before their divorce was finalized. 

According to People, Barnes and Govan married in 2013, but split after nearly two years. Govan quickly moved on, and in 2015, she began dating his former teammate, Fisher, who was then the coach of the New York Knicks. ESPN reported that — that same year — a physical altercation took place between the two athletes at Govan's home. Barnes then went on an Instagram rant (via The Washington Post), sharing, in part, "Being stuck in the 'triangle offense' with my ex & snitch, I mean former teammate & friend. Who went behind my back, messed with my ex, got caught, got dealt w for being a snake." 

In 2018, Govan and Fisher announced their engagement, and Barnes took the news surprisingly well. Fisher finally opened up about his issues with his ex-teammate to Fox Sports, sharing, "I didn't view it as a code [or] unwritten code thing. I don't view life in that way." He added, "The issue ... was more his." The couple tied the knot in 2021, but while things have cooled off between Barnes and Fisher, Govan and Barnes' girlfriend, Anansa Sims, are sparking new feuds on social media. 

One of the most shocking stories to come out from the world of soccer was the infamous affair between celebrated Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs and his brother's wife, Natasha. According to The Sun (via the Daily Mail), in 2011, Natasha revealed that she had an eight-year affair with Ryan, which resulted in his brother, Rhodri, divorcing his wife in 2013. However, Ryan's wife stayed by his side until they separated in 2017. 

According to the Daily Mail, Natasha ousted Ryan after he tried to keep another affair with "Big Brother" star Imogen Thomas quiet. She also shockingly revealed that she aborted Ryan's baby before she was going to marry Rhodri. The brothers' fallout resulted in the pair not speaking to each other for years. Even the Giggs' father, famed rugby player Danny Wilson, could not come to terms with his son's scandalous affair, telling The Sun, "I am ashamed of him. I can't even bring myself to use his name — I refer to him as the ex-footballer." 

The Mirror reported that the brothers have yet to reconcile, with Rhodri releasing a book about the affair — which would leave no detail out. Rhodri shared, "People have always asked me to do a book for the last 10 years. It's just a bad thing to happen, so I'm just going all guns blazing now ... You can't do what you've done and expect me to lie down and be quiet about it. I'm gonna piss people off."

Former San Antonio Spurs player Tony Parker had it all — he and his team won the 2007 NBA Championship against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he was set to marry "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria soon after. Photos captured Longoria kissing Parker when the Spurs won and they appeared to be a match made in heaven.

The couple tied the knot in Paris, France in July 2007, but their fairytale romance ended in 2010, when Longoria tweeted that she and Parker were getting a divorce. News soon spread like wildfire that Parker had cheated on Longoria with his teammate Brent Barry's wife, Erin Berry. Longoria reportedly found several text messages exchanged between Parker and a woman believed to be Erin, however, things never got physical, per the New York Post. Barry had also filed for divorce around the same time, citing "discord or conflict of personalities," per People. Barry and his wife were together since 1998. 

Talking about her failed marriage on "The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet," Longoria said, "It wasn't about who he chose ... I mean, I had moments of, 'Okay, I'm not sexy enough. I'm not pretty enough. I'm not smart enough?'" Parker later married French journalist Axelle Francine in 2014, but they separated in 2020. Longoria went on to marry José Bastón in 2016 and the couple shares a son named Santiago. She is also stepmom to Bastón's three kids from a previous marriage, per Hola! 

Former Denver Broncos football player Brennan Clay made sports headlines when he sent out a tweet in 2014 telling his thousands of Twitter followers that his wife was cheating on him with former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray. Although the two men did not play on the same team in the NFL, they were both teammates at the University of Oklahoma. Clay even once told TMZ that Murray was "the person who I looked up to the most as a running back and as a friend."

According to Fox19, Clay's since-deleted tweet called out his wife, Gina D'Agostini, and read, "So DeMarco Murray was having an affair with my wife .. I'm done .. @demarcomurray and @gina_edagos0126 .. 1 has a baby momma and she has 2 kids." TMZ reported that Clay was in the middle of filing for divorce from D'Agostini, but later took back his accusations, posting a photo laying on top of her and tweeting, "Jumped to a conclusion that wasn't true .. can't judge a situation without knowing all the facts .. I apologize .. "

Murray did not respond to Clay's affair accusations and went on to marry Heidi Mueller in 2015. According to Clay's Twitter, he appears to have divorced D'Agostini after all, and remarried in 2021 to a woman named Lindsey Diann. 

Former NBA star Dwyane Wade and actor Gabrielle Union have been through a difficult road together after the basketball player cheated on the "Breaking In" star and fathered a son with "Basketball Wives" star Aja Metoyer. According to ET, the Hollywood couple had been together since 2008, but took a break in 2013, which is when he welcomed his son Xavier with Metoyer. However, Union took Wade back and the two wed in 2014. 

Union addressed her husband's infidelity in her book, "You Got Anything Stronger," where she shared that the surprise pregnancy hurt the actor as she struggled to have a baby herself. "The experience of Dwyane having a baby so easily while I was unable to left my soul not just broken into pieces, but shattered into fine dust and scattering in the wind." She added, "But I loved him. ... Each day, he had worked to be forgiven, and I had chosen to love him and forgive him." The couple later welcomed their daughter, Kaavia, via surrogate in 2018, per People. 

In his ESPN documentary, "D. Wade: Life Unexpected," Wade revealed the difficult time he had telling Union that he was going to become a father with Metoyer, sharing (via ET), "I couldn't sleep. I wasn't eating." However, the couple chose to work out their issues, with the athlete stating, "Me and Gab just went through something that you never want to go through and we still came out of it."

NBA stars Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn, and Jim Jackson appeared to bring life back to the Dallas Mavericks in the mid-'90s and the trio even had a nickname — "the three J's," per The Dallas Morning News. However, tension grew among the men, especially between Kidd and Jackson, with rumors that it was because of Toni Braxton. 

Braxton was already an R&B superstar at the time, having released her debut album that featured her hit songs, "You Mean the World to Me" and "Breathe Again," and her second album, "Secrets," which featured the mega-hit "Un-Break My Heart." So, were these two NBA stars vying for her attention? According to CBS News, rumors looked that way after Braxton met Kidd in Atlanta, but left with Jackson, causing a feud between the athletes. Kidd insisted that either he or Jackson be traded, and, by 1996, Kidd was traded to the Phoenix Suns, while Jackson would also be traded to the New Jersey Nets in 1997. The Mavs also decided to part ways with Mashburn that same year, and he was traded to the Miami Heat. "The three J's" was over. 

Mashburn spoke about the rumors that caused all three men to be traded, sharing with KRLD-FM in 2015 (via The Dallas Morning News), "She's a beautiful woman, but I think it did cost us because of egos, being so young, not having a lot of direction and leadership on the Dallas Mavericks at that particular time."

Before Jordyn Woods found herself caught up in a scandal after she kissed Khloé Kardashian's former boyfriend, Tristan Thompson, in 2019, she was BFFs with Kylie and Kendall Jenner. Woods was regularly seen out with the famous family, and in 2018, TMZ spotted Kendall with her former boyfriend, NBA star Ben Simmons, on a double date with Woods and another NBA player, Devin Booker. However, Kendall would later dump Simmons and date Booker. 

Fans might not have realized that Woods and Booker were an item way before things between Kendall and the Phoenix Suns player got serious. According to Life & Style, the odd dating history goes that Woods and the NBA player dated for about a year and split just before Woods was caught with Thompson. As of this writing, Woods has been dating Karl-Anthony Towns, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kendall and Booker began their romance sometime around 2020 and went Instagram official on Valentine's Day in 2021. 

Kendall has a history of dating men in the NBA. Her previous relationships include Simmons, Blake Griffin, and Jordan Clarkson, per Page Six. During the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" reunion in 2021, the model shared (via the Daily Mail), "I'm not ashamed that I have a type, and I'm also, like, a genuine basketball fan."

Former NHL player Sean Avery's disparaging remarks about an ex-girlfriend not only led to a six-game suspension from the Dallas Stars in 2008, it ultimately left him without a team after the Stars let him go, per ESPN. Avery, who was known for his hot temper and tell-it-like-it-is attitude, split from actor Elisha Cuthbert and he did not hold back on how he felt when she began dating NHL player Dion Phaneuf, whom she later married in 2013. 

During an interview, Avery was heard stating (via ESPN), "I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about, but enjoy the game tonight." Avery had also previously dated model Rachel Hunter, who had moved on with NHL athlete Jarret Stoll.

In his memoir, "Offside: My Life Crossing the Line" (via TSN), Avery shared that he wasn't sorry for his comments about Cuthbert. "What I'm supposed to say is I regret it. What I feel is I said something terribly distasteful. But they are just words. I have made amends with that situation. I don't think I could take it back. If I could, I would choose not to hurt people again. But I just can't say 'I wish I didn't say it.' I own it,'" he shared. In 2015, Avery married model Hilary Rhoda and in 2020, they welcomed a son named Nash. 

Before Kanye West came into the picture, Kim Kardashian was married to former NBA star Kris Humphries and they were caught in a whirlwind romance. According to Us Weekly, the pair dated in 2010, and Humphries got down on one knee to ask for her hand in marriage a year later. The two wed in August 2011 and everyone knows what happened next. Their infamous marriage lasted just 72 days, and Kardashian filed for divorce in October, per TMZ. 

In the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" reunion in 2021, fans learned that their wedding almost didn't happen. Kris Jenner revealed that she thought the marriage was a "bad idea" and offered to help her daughter get out of it. However, Kardashian recalled that she didn't want to be known as the "runaway bride" and went ahead with the nuptials, per ET. According to Life & Style (via HuffPost), another close star reportedly also urged Kardashian to not go through with her marriage to Humphries — her ex, former NFL player Reggie Bush.

Bush and Kardashian dated from 2007 until 2010, but after hearing the news that his ex was going to marry Humphries, he reportedly "begged" the reality star not to go through with it. Bush would eventually marry Lilit Avagyan in 2014, who strikingly resembles Kardashian. Although Bush and Kardashian ended things, it's hard not to notice how Avagyan's life resembles that of the reality star when looking at her social media. 

Former Detriot Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder made headlines after it was confirmed that he filed for divorce from his wife, Chanel Fielder, in May 2013. According to ESPN, Fielder was not playing at his best, and his former teammate, Torii Hunter, told a radio show, "Us as players, we know what's really going on and we appreciate him going out there every day." While going through a divorce can certainly hurt a player's performance, rumors appeared to be spreading that his divorce was caused by his wife's affair with a Tigers' teammate. 

247 Sports reported that Fielder's wife was having an affair with Avasail Garcia, an outfielder who was with the Tigers for two years. After learning about the affair, a fight broke out between Garcia and teammate Miguel Cabrera. Coincidentally, Garcia was traded by the Tigers to the White Sox and Fielder got traded to the Texas Rangers the same year the divorce was filed. 

Despite their pending divorce, Fielder and his wife reconciled in 2014, per Heavy. Chanel is very active on Instagram, and there are tons of photos showing the couple attending events together and on family vacations with their two sons. 

In 2010, famed footballer John Terry was stripped of his England captaincy after it was revealed that he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of his former Chelsea and England teammate, Wayne Bridge. It was the ultimate betrayal by former teammates, with the Daily Mail reporting that Terry comforted Bridge's ex, Vanessa Perroncel, when the couple split, which resulted in a four-month affair. 

According to Express, although it became one of English soccer's biggest scandals, Terry's wife, Toni, whom he married in 2007, stood by his side and, as of this writing, is still married to the athlete. However, Terry's relationship with Bridge, who left Chelsea for Manchester City, wasn't resolved, and during a match between the two teams in February 2010, Bridge refused to shake Terry's hand before the start of the game, per The Guardian. 

Perroncel, who also has a son with Bridge, has denied there was ever an affair. She told the Belfast Telegraph about her relationship with Terry, "What we had cannot be described as an affair. It was a friendship. Not one word of what was written about me was true." According to The Guardian, British tabloids "News of the World" and "Mail on Sunday" later issued apologies to Perroncel, which seems like a first for any tabloid. "Mail on Sunday" wrote that their story about the affair was "untrue in any case." Bridge has since moved on from the scandal and married British singer Frankie Bridge in 2014. 

MLB players Dennis Eckersley and Rick Manning were both selected by the Cleveland Indians during the 1972 MLB draft. Like any other teammates, the men became close, until Eckersley was traded to the Boston Red Sox and learned that his best friend was having an affair with his wife. 

According to Sports Illustrated, the same day Eckersley learned he was being traded in March 1978, his wife Denise dropped a bombshell when she admitted to the affair. Eckersley shared, "I was hurt at first, but Denise and I were kids when we got married. We were 18 and didn't know anything. What hurt was being separated from Maddie [his daughter]." Former Red Sox pitcher Bruce Hurst was surprised at how well Eckersley took the news, especially when the Sox had to play the Indians. "Every time Manning came to plate against us, I used to fume and think, I hate that man. But Eck never did hate him. He still considered him a friend. I don't know how he did that." According to Yardbaker, Manning and Denise married, but later divorced.  

Years after the affair, Eckersley, who became an MLB analyst after retiring, poked fun at his past during a game between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees. When asked if he had ever been close to another player during a rivalry, Eckersley said, "I don't know about a rivalry. I had a real close friend who stole my wife. How about that?" 

Baseball fans might argue about the biggest trades in MLB history, but nothing comes close to the 1972 trade between former New York Yankees players Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich. No, these men weren't being traded to another team (although they were traded later), they announced they were trading lives — wives, pets, and all. 

Like a permanent "Wife Swap," ESPN reported that, on March 4, 1973, the men held press conferences to make the shocking announcement. In an interview with The Palm Beach Post, Peterson called the trade "a love story" and added, "it wasn't anything dirty." The men also agreed that their children should stay with their mothers. Unfortunately, Kekich and Peterson's wife, Marilyn, split soon after the swap, but Peterson and Susanne Kekich are still together as of this writing. 

Talking about his successful marriage to his former teammate's wife, Peterson said, "I could not be happier with anybody in the world. 'Mama' and I go out and party every night. We're still on the honeymoon and it has been a real blessing." The former baseball star shared that he hasn't spoken to Kekich for years, stating, "We just went our own ways. I don't have anything against him and I don't think he has anything against me." In 2013, it was announced that a movie titled "The Trade" about the two athletes was in development, with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon producing. As of this writing, it has yet to be released.

In 2006, NFL quarterback Tom Brady took his then-girlfriend, model Gisele Bundchen, by surprise when he told her his ex-girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan, was pregnant with their son. Luckily, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB and the former Victoria's Secret model were able to work on their relationship, even though Brady was preparing to become a father with his and Moynahan's baby.

According to Us Weekly, Brady and Moynahan dated for two years, but split in 2006. He then began dating Bundchen, but weeks into their romance, he learned Moynahan was pregnant. Brady told Howard Stern in April 2020, "I found out a lot about Gisele through this experience, and she found out a lot about me dealing with a[n uneasy] situation." Moynahan gave birth to their son, Jack, in 2007 and told Harper's Bazaar at the time, "Going through that traumatic time of being heartbroken and then being pregnant turned my whole life upside down and ... just knocked the wind out of me."

Brady and Bundchen tied the knot in 2009 and welcomed two kids — a son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Vivian. However, Moynahan, who married investment banker Andrew Frankel in 2015, shared they are one big blended family. "Tom and I made a decision to raise a child together and we both found partners that not only supported us in raising that child but also loved our child as if he was their own ... My son is surrounded by love," she told People.