There are journeyman and then there are journeyman. Ish Smith is decidedly the latter. As the Denver Nuggets finalize a trade that will send Monte Morris and Will Barton to the Wizards for Smith and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, it looks as if Smith is going to appear on his 13th NBA team, barring a buyout. If he sees the floor as a member of the Nuggets, Smith would stand alone in the record books, breaking a record that he currently holds along with three other players.
Smith, Chucky Brown, Ken Massenburg, and Jim Jackson all made appearances for 12 NBA teams, with Smith being the only active player on that list. While he needs to play to officially break the record, this puts Smith on the right track.
The teams Smith has played for now includes:
- Rockets
- Grizzlies
- Warriors
- Magic
- Bucks
- Suns
- Thunder
- 76ers
- Pelicans
- 76ers again
- Pistons
- Wizards
- Hornets
- Wizards again
Second stints with teams, of course, don't count.
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As Smith approaches the record, here's a look at the record-holder for most teams played for in every major North American sport.
MLB
Player: Edwin Jackson
No. of teams: 14
Teams: Dodgers, Rays, Tigers, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Cardinals, Nationals, Cubs, Braves, Marlins, Padres, Orioles, Athletics, Blue Jays
Edwin Jackson took his talents to nearly half of MLB. The owner of one of the ugliest no-hitters of all-time -- a 149-pitch affair that happened by sheer force of will -- Jackson broke a record previously held by Octavio Dotel.
Jackson spent much of his career as a starting two-pitch pitcher, a rarity at the time. While his stuff was never electric, he was a player who did just about everything in his career, including winning a World Series with the 2011 Cardinals and earning an All-Star appearance with the Tigers.
NFL
Player: Joshua Johnson
No. of teams: 14
Teams: Buccaneers, 49ers, Browns, Bengals, Jets, Colts, Bills, Ravens, Giants, Texans, Raiders, Washington, Lions, Broncos
Another journeyman in every sense of the word, Joshua Johnson has been a career backup quarterback. He's often been used to spot fill the backup position, and as such his stints rarely last more than one season. He has played in 37 games throughout his 11-year NFL career, with a United Football League and XFL stint breaking up his NFL seasons. He enters this season as part of the Denver Broncos, his 14th team.
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NHL
Player: Mike Sillinger
No. of teams: 12
Teams: Red Wings, Mighty Ducks, Canucks, Flyers, Lightning, Panthers, Senators, Blue Jackets, Coyotes, Blues, Predators, Islanders
A rotational center, Mike Sillinger found his way onto 12 NHL teams over the course of his nearly 20-year career.
NHL is a sport that doesn't seem to see quite as much movement as the other leagues, which makes Sillinger's jet-setting even more impressive. He had 548 points in his NHL career and was generally in 60-plus games per season.
