In a league like the NBA, players frequently change teams throughout each season, occasionally even in the middle of one. NBA players have various opportunities to change teams.
A superstar who is out of contract and wants to win a championship, like LeBron James and “The Decision,” could be a free agent who will sign with the highest offer.
Players are traded by their organization, which results in them joining new teams. The typical scenario is when a player is forced onto a new squad.
Players also frequently ask to be traded to a different team, just like Anthony Davis did when he asked to leave the Pelicans and join the LA Lakers.
NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki spent at least 20 years playing for the same team. However, many athletes lack that luxury or longevity, switching teams frequently during their basketball careers.
Who are NBA players who have played for the most teams throughout the course of their careers?
Given the variety of methods an NBA player might change teams, some players choose to become “NBA nomads” and play for numerous teams throughout the course of their career.
There are two methods to respond to the query, “Which NBA players have played for the most teams?”.
A player could hypothetically play for every NBA team, as there are now 30 franchises in the league.
You might also consider basketball teams outside the National Basketball Association, as many NBA players continue to play pro ball outside of the United States.
In this article we’ll focus just on NBA teams and take a look at the NBA players who played for the most teams.
Which NBA Player Played for the Most Teams?
There are five players who played for most NBA franchises. A total of 12 NBA teams have used Chucky Brown, Jim Jackson, Tony Massenburg, and Joe Smith as players (minimum of one game played) and Jeff Green (currently still playing).
Due to his involvement with so many teams, Kevin Ollie may hold the record for wearing the most NBA jerseys.
Ollie had “only” 11 teams in his career, but those teams included the Orlando Magic twice, the Philadelphia 76ers three times, and the SEA/OKC squad in both Seattle (2003) and Oklahoma City (2004). (2009-10).
Ollie changed NBA teams 15 times over the course of his career, which lasted from 1997 to 2010, and he amassed 15 different jerseys in the process.
The current NBA players with the most teams that they have played for are Jeff Green, who has played for 12 different NBA teams, and Ish Smith, with 11.
Smith is only in his 11th season and is now a member of the Washington Wizards. This 34-year-old is actually the NBA player with the best chance of breaking the record and playing for thirteen teams.
Current NBA Players Who Played for the Most Franchises
NBA players have frequently transferred teams every season for the past few years.
Let’s check out which NBA players have appeared for the most teams during their careers.
1. Jeff Green (12 teams)
The Boston Celtics selected Green fifth overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. Additionally, Green has suited up for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Washington Wizards.
Green has currently played for ten different teams during the course of his career.
He averaged 14.2 points and 5.8 rebounds throughout four seasons while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He currently plays for Denver Nuggets.
2. Ish Smith (11 teams)
Ish Smith has so far played for 11 different NBA teams. Houston Rockets acquired Smith in 2010.
In 2011, he was moved to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he appeared in 15 games during the 2010–2011 season.
The Golden State Warriors later picked up Smith off waivers. Finally, Smith inked a contract with the Washington Wizards in 2019. In the previous eight seasons, Smith has played for 11 different teams.
His greatest season was in 2016 with the Philadelphia 76ers, when he played 81 games and averaged 14.7 points and seven assists.
3. Anthony Tolliver (11 teams)
Throughout his NBA career, Anthony Tolliver has also played for 11 different teams.
Tolliver was acquired by the Golden State Warriors in 2010. He later played for the Phoenix Suns in 2014.
He participated in 24 games with them in total in 2014–15, scoring 3.3 points and pulling down 1.8 rebounds.
With the Golden State Warriors, he had his greatest season, averaging 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Tolliver joined his 11th team, the Philadelphia 76ers, in 2021 after signing a contract with them.
For the Philadelphia 76ers, he appeared in 11 games, averaging 1.5 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.2 assists.
Now he’s a free agent.
4. Trevor Ariza (10 teams)
The New York Knicks selected Trevor Ariza in the 2004 NBA Draft. He has since played for ten various teams.
His few NBA teams include the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Additionally, he and the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title in 2009.
With the Miami Heat, where he played 34 games and averaged 9.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and one steal per game, he had his greatest season.
5. Garrett Temple (10 teams)
Temple made his NBA Summer League debut with the Houston Rockets in 2009. Garrett Temple has thus far appeared for 9 different NBA clubs.
He played in both the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons with three different teams. However, he only participated in a limited number of games because of injuries.
Temple inked a contract with the Chicago Bulls in 2020. He averaged 7.6 points and 2.9 rebounds for Chicago while shooting 41% from the floor.
Currently, he plays for New Orleans Pelicans.
Retired NBA Players Who Have Played for the Most Franchises
1. Chucky Brown (12 teams)
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Chucky Brown in 1989.
A total of 12 teams, including the Cleveland Cavs, Houston Rockets, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Golden State Warriors, were represented by the 6’7″ forward over the course of his 13-year NBA career.
2. Tony Massenburg (12 teams)
The San Antonio Spurs selected Tony Massenburg in the 1990 NBA Draft.
The PF/center also had a 13-year professional career, appearing for the Sacramento Spurs, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Spurs, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers. He and the Spurs captured the NBA title in 2005.
3. Jim Jackson (12 teams)
The small forward/shooting guard was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1992 NBA Draft, and he went on to play in the league for 14 years.
He appeared in games for 12 different teams during that time, including the Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento, Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, GS Warriors, Nets, and Los Angeles Lakers.
4. Joe Smith (12 teams)
The 1995 NBA Draft saw the Golden State Warriors select Joe Smith, beginning his 16-year NBA career.
The GSW, Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Nuggets, LA Lakers, and New Jersey Nets were among the 12 clubs represented by the 1995–96 All-Rookie.
5. Kevin Ollie (11 teams)
Kevin Ollie was selected in 1997 and played for 11 different teams before retiring in 2010.
The shooting guard/point guard was a representative of the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks.
In 2009, Ollie led the Timberwolves as their captain. According to many, the Thunder’s team culture has benefited under his guidance.
Who Played for the Most NBA Teams in One Season?
Players joining one squad for their entire career are becoming less and less common.
Tim Duncan, Stockton, and Kobe all did it. But how many men today are actually going to persevere with a single franchise for more than ten years?
At 21 seasons with one franchise, Dirk Nowitzki currently owns the record for the most seasons in history.
On the other hand, we are also aware of how frowned upon it is for athletes to play for more than a few different teams during the course of their careers.
Bobby Jones, though, who played for six different NBA clubs in two years, five of which he played for in only one season, has to be considered the king of nomads and the All-Time great at switching teams.
All of these actions were certainly acquired through trades, and it appears that he was frequently involved in deals with other players who were more well-known.
After beginning the 2007 campaign in Denver, Jones moved on to Memphis, Houston, Miami, and San Antonio.
In his two brief seasons of play, he averaged 3.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 5 assists a game while shooting 44% from the field. He retired in 2008 after only two seasons.
No player in history has ever moved teams to this degree, and it’s improbable that anyone ever will.
There simply doesn’t seem to be enough time for transactions to be made so rapidly during an 82-game season with a trade deadline in February.
Therefore, even though Bobby Jones may not have had much opportunity to contribute to the NBA, he nonetheless made history uniquely, even if it wasn’t his objective.