Which NBA Player Has Played for the Most Teams?

The NBA trade season brings about a lot of changes for players and teams. The league as a whole is seeing more and more players switch teams frequently.

But who’s the NBA player that has played for the most teams?

Ishmael “Ish” Smith has played for a total of 13 NBA teams and he’s been in the league for 12 years. He played for teams such as the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns and most recently for the Washington Wizards.

NBA Players That Have Played for the Most Teams

There are various reasons why players switch between franchises. The player or the team might drive the motive.

Like in the case of LeBron, his move back Cavaliers was a gratitude gesture. He felt that since the franchise was responsible for giving him his first big break, he could come back and thank them by playing for them and trying to win an NBA championship.

His other move to the Lakers was driven by his desire to etch his name in the great franchise’s storied history. This move was also fueled by his wife’s interest in the showbiz industry, and LeBron moving to LA Lakers would bring her nearer to Hollywood. 

All in all, players move for various reasons; below is a table containing a list of players who have played for the highest number of NBA franchises, starting with the above-mentioned record holder Ish Smith.

Loyalty in Basketball

Being loyal can be defined as exhibiting constant support and pledging one’s allegiance to an entity.

In sports, especially basketball, switching between teams and franchises is becoming normal nowadays, with high-profile players like LeBron James switching from Miami Heat in the early 2010s to his boyhood club Cleveland Cavaliers, eventually leaving towards the end decade for the LA Lakers.

This switching was not very common a few years ago, with players like Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) and Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers) playing for one team for the entirety of their sporting careers.

Most NBA players play for 2-3 teams during their careers.

However, for some individuals, the number is higher than that. As of June 2022, the player to have played for the greatest number of teams in the NBA is Ishmael “Ish” Smith, who, after a recent trade, shall be playing for a record 13th team. Behind him are a quartet of Jim Jackson, Joe Smith, Tony Massenburg, and Chuck Brown, who have played for twelve NBA franchises.

Why do NBA Players Switch Teams Frequently?

As elaborated earlier, various reasons could drive players to switch from one NBA franchise to another. However, in the recent past, certain NBA rules and regulations have been introduced, making this switching of players more probable than remaining in one franchise for one’s entire playing career.

This is to maintain a competitive balance between teams towards the tail-end of a season. Also, teams are allowed to sign and then trade players. This helps them ‘capitalize’ on players viewed as assets, compared to losing them for nothing had they remained free agents.

Sometimes, teams choose to trade their player for a different player, maybe because they feel that the player’s excessive wages are not reciprocated by performances that justify the salary.

In other scenarios, the team trades their player for a different type of player, maybe when they want to introduce a new approach or feel that they value and require the attributes offered by the other player. This was evident with the Houston Rockets when they traded their ‘big’ in favor of shooting point guards when they wanted to introduce the small ball. 

Players sometimes also push for a switch, but most times, it is because the other team is offering a bigger contract, and they decide to go for the money.  

Most Loyal NBA Players to One Team

However, several standout individuals have plied their trade in one franchise for the entirety of their NBA careers. These kinds of players are regarded as rare gems nowadays, and more often than not, they inevitably become fan favorites due to their loyalty.

Another reason why the most loyal player is highly likely to become fan favorites is that most of them are good players. Players who are not very good are often traded by the franchise and therefore do not stand a great chance of becoming loyal to one team.

Below is a table containing at least ten of the longest-serving individuals to have pledged their allegiances to one franchise for all their NBA playing careers.

Conclusion

Being loyal can be defined as exhibiting constant support and pledging one’s allegiance to an entity. In sports, especially basketball, switching between franchises has become normal nowadays. Most NBA players play for 2-3 teams during their careers.

Some of the individuals who have played for the highest number of NBA franchises include Ishmael “Ish” Smith, who, after a recent trade, shall be playing for a record 13th team and is followed by a four-way comprising of Jim Jackson, Joe Smith, Tony Massenburg and Chuck Brown, all who have played for twelve NBA franchises.

On the other hand, NBA’s most loyal players include individuals like Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) and Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers), playing for one team for the entirety of their sporting careers.

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