Adjusting to the environment around you is key to success in any sport. Even with NBA rosters having the smallest maximum roster size of the big four North American leagues with 15 players, there are personnel changes all the time. Imagine having to deal with that in new cities with new teammates and coaches constantly. Welcome to the life of Ish Smith.
Smith, who turns 34 on Tuesday, will suit up for his 13th NBA franchise this fall, as he was traded to the Nuggets from the Wizards earlier this week. By completing his baker’s dozen of professional basketball, he sets the league record for most teams played for. There had been a five-way tie with 12 teams as Smith shared the distinction with Chucky Brown, Jim Jackson, Tony Massenburg, and Joe Smith.
Aside from departing Washington and his future games in Denver, Smith has played for the Warriors, Hornets, Pelicans, 76ers, Pistons, Thunder, Suns, Magic, Grizzlies, Bucks, and Rockets. His personal geography is starting to look like the Big Ten. While he holds the NBA record, has Smith represented more franchises than anyone else in American sports history? The answer is no.
But Smith doesn’t actually hold the record for most teams played for, that record belongs to two people, one is righty pitcher Edwin Jackson, who suited up for nearly half of Major League Baseball. Jackson retired after the 2011 season, in which he won a World Series with the Cardinals, having played for 14 MLB teams. Jackson played for eight teams for a single year and set his personal record with three seasons each with the Rays, Cubs, and Dodgers. The much-traveled pitcher Octavio Dotel is second with 13 MLB teams. Matt Stairs, Ron Villone, and Mike Morgan are the only other three to have played for an even dozen MLB team.
The other player at 14 teams is Johnson. It’s not a shocker that a quarterback holds the NFL record considering how many have made careers as journeymen. Josh Johnson played for 14 NFL teams, mostly in a backup role. He started his career with four years in Tampa Bay, has had three different stints with the 49ers, and is currently signed with the Broncos. Add in the UFL’s Sacramento Mountain Lions and AAF’s San Diego Fleet and that’s 15 pro football teams. J.T. O’Sullivan, also a QB, is just behind Johnson with 11 NFL teams, in addition to Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and NFL Europe’s Frankfurt Galaxy.
Only one NHL player has more than 10 teams on his ledger, that’s Mike Sillinger, who suited up for a dozen franchises during his 18-year career. He played at least 129 games with five NHL teams, with his highest single-franchise total being 155 during two seasons with the Blue Jackets. Current Oilers center Derick Brassard is tied for second with 10 teams and is the only active player to have played for double-digit franchises.
Outside the Big Four, Nathan Sturgis holds the Major League Soccer record with eight teams, last playing in 2016, when the league only had 20 teams. Marcus Bent holds the Premier League record, also at eight in Leicester City, Everton, Wolverhampton, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic, and Charlton Athletic.
It’s hard to determine who has suited up for the most college teams, across all sports. The number of schools can’t be that high, due to limited eligibility and even less chances to transfer. Due to the NCAA’s eligibility relief amid the coronavirus pandemic, a recent example likely holds the record and you’ll be hard pressed to find a career like Jalen Coleman-Lands, who played for four Division-I basketball teams in Illinois, DePaul, Iowa State and Kansas, where was part of the Jayhawks’ national championship team in April. Coleman-Lands finished his college career tied for second in Division-I history in games played with USC’s Chevez Goodwin. Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon holds the record with 179.