Which NBA player has played for the most teams?
In a league such as the NBA, players are switching teams constantly, every season and sometimes even in the middle of a season. An NBA player can switch teams for many reasons. It could be because they are a free agent and going to the highest bidder, or a superstar that is out of their contract and wants to win a championship, like LeBron James and "The Decision". Players also end up on new teams because their organization trades them. The last common way a player may end up on a new team is by force. Players often demand to be traded to a new organization, similar to how Anthony Davis did to leave the Pelicans and join the LA Lakers.
With all the ways an NBA player can end up on a new team, some players become NBA nomads and play for many teams throughout their career. Let's examine which players have played on the most teams throughout their NBA careers.
Twelve is the most teams an NBA Player has played for
There is a four-way time for the players who have played with the most NBA teams. Chucky Brown, Jim Jackson, Tony Massenburg and Joe Smith have all played for 12 NBA franchises (minimum of one game played).
However, Kevin Ollie might take the cake for the NBA player with the most jerseys due to playing for so many teams. While Ollie played for "just" 11 teams, he had two different stints with the Orlando Magic, three different stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and played for the SEA/OKC franchise both in Seattle (2003) and in OKC (2009-10). All in all, Ollie moved from one NBA team to another 15 times during his career from 1997-2010 and he collected 15 different jerseys along the way.
The current NBA Player who has played for the most NBA teams
Ish Smith is the current NBA player who has played with the most NBA teams at 11. Smith is currently on the Washington Wizards and is entering just his 11th season. The 32-year-old is the NBA player with the greatest chance of breaking the record and playing for thirteen teams. There is a good chance his next team might be with the Boston Celtics, as Brad Stevens was impressed with his play. Here is what Coach Stevens had to say about Smith after the Wizards and Celtics matched up last season per NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage,
Ish is good, real good, I don’t know if you watched the Denver game, but he was ridiculous in that one too, fourth quarter he was amazing.
Other current NBA players who have played for the most teams:
Anthony Tolliver - 10 teams
Trevor Ariza - 9 teams (OKC would be his 10th)
Jamal Crawford - 9 teams
Jeff Green - 9 teams (Brooklyn would be his 10th)
Garrett Temple - 9 teams (Chicago would be his 10th)
D.J Augustin - 8 teams (Milwaukee would be his 9th)
Gerald Green - 8 teams
Corey Brewer - 8 teams
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