Best Beef-Squashing Sports Moments
LeBron James and Dan Gilbert bury the hatchet.
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LeBron James and Dan Gilbert - Since making his notorious “Decision” and leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010, LeBron James has had an icy relationship with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. However, four years later, King James is rejoining Cleveland, after sitting down and officially squashing his beef with the Cavs owner. With James and Gilbert back on good terms, BET.com has assembled this list of moments when sports figures called a truce to their feuds.(Photos from left: AP Photo/Tony Dejak, Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner - Legendary New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner had a special history with his then-manager Billy Martin. The Boss hired Martin in 1975 and fired him in 1978 for making public statements against Steinbrenner and star Reggie Jackson. That set off an astounding four more hiring and firings of Martin. At least they squashed their beef in between all of those transactions. Their truces just didn’t last. However, according to TIME magazine, Steinbrenner was reportedly considering bringing Martin back in 1989, before Martin was killed in a car accident. (Photo: Bettmann/CORBIS)
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Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield - Mike Tyson bites the ear of Evander Holyfield during the third round of the WBA Heavyweight Championship fights in Las Vegas on June 28, 1997. The fight was called after Tyson was disqualified. (Photo: Steve Marcus /Landov/REUTERS)
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Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier - Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier despised each other through most of their boxing rivalry. However, their feud fizzled out to the point where Ali and Frazier even sat side by side during the 2004 NBA All-Star Game in Frazier’s home city of Philadelphia. Ali even paid tribute to his former rival “Smokin' Joe” by saying, "The world has lost a great champion," when Frazier passed in 2011.(Photo: KMazur/WireImage)
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Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal - To this day, many hoops fans believe that the younger Kobe Bryant forced the Los Angeles Lakers’ hand by threatening to exit if Shaquille O’Neal wasn't traded in 2004. At its peak, the rivalry got super ugly when Shaq spit a mean freestyle asking Kobe, "How does my a-- taste." O'Neal would, however, heed the great Bill Russell’s advice in squashing the beef with Bryant and killing the bad blood they had when O’Neal’s Miami Heat faced Kobe and the Lakers on Martin Luther King Day of 1996. Keep the peace. (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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