The History of the NBA Journeyman
Journeymen have been a common theme in the NBA for decades. Players who are just good enough to always have a spot on an NBA roster, but not great enough to be given many long-term contracts by NBA franchises. Essentially they are the saga of players that never found a home.
Before the 2021-2022 season, there were four retired players who were tied for the most franchises played with. Jim Jackson, Joe Smith, Tony Massenburg, and Chucky Brown all played for 12 NBA teams. This season, that record was tied when Ish Smith joined the Charlotte Hornets. This leads to the question; Who would be a part of the 2021-2022 All-NBA Journeyman team?
The All-NBA Journeyman Team: 2022-2023 Edition Now Available
PG: Ish Smith
Teams played for – 12 (HOU, MEM, GSW, ORL, MIL, PHO, OKC, PHI, NOP, DET, WAS, CHO)
Most seasons played before switching teams – 3 (2016-2019 with Detroit)
Career averages – 7.7 PPG, 3.9 APG, 2.5 RPG on 42.9/32.2/67.5 shooting splits
Running point for our All-NBA Journeyman Team is Ish Smith. While Smith has played for the most teams of any active NBA player, he is actually the youngest player on this list, still on the better half of 33 years-old. His journeyman career was started earlier than most players as he played for 9 different teams in his first 6 seasons, spending a full season with the same team just once (2013-2014 with Phoenix). As his career progressed he finally found long-term homes in Detroit and Washington, before joining the Hornets in 2021-2022. If Smith finds a new home next season, he will become the sole leader for most teams played for by a single player.
SG: Garrett Temple
Teams played for – 11 (HOU, SAC, SAS, MIL, CHA, WAS, MEM, LAC, BRK, CHI, NOP)
Most seasons played before switching teams – 4 (2012-2016 with Washington)
Career averages – 6.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.8 APG on 40.4/34.7/74.4 shooting splits
Temple did not have a traditional path to sticking in the NBA as long as he has. At LSU, he was SEC All-Defense twice, but was undrafted in 2009. Between 2009 and 2011, Temple jumped between the G-league and NBA and played in just 51 games for 6 different teams. After not getting much traction with an NBA team, Temple elected to play overseas in Italy for a season. He came back to the US in 2012-2013 and lit up the G-league, averaging 15 PPG, 6 APG, and 5 RPG leading him to a long-term deal with the Washington Wizards. Since then he has been a quality role player for five other teams, and currently plays with the New Orleans Pelicans.
SF: Trevor Ariza
Teams played for – 10 (NYK, ORL, LAL, HOU, NOH, WAS, PHO, SAC, POR, MIA)
Most seasons played before switching teams – 4 (2014-2018 with Houston)
Career averages – 10.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.5 SPG on 42.3/35.2/73.3 shooting splits
Trevor Ariza joins just Dwight Howard and Andre Iguodala as the only active players from the 2004 NBA draft class. Ariza has 18 seasons of NBA experience and is the 9th oldest active player. He is remembered most for being the 4th best player on the 2008-2009 Lakers for their championship playoff-run. After his incredible playoff performance, he found himself with lucrative deals to be a full-time starter for the Hornets, Wizards and Rockets. In his latest seasons, he has jumped around much more frequently and is currently injured, but signed with the Lakers for his second stint in LA.
PF: Jeff Green
Teams played for – 11/12 (SEA/OKC, BOS, MEM, LAC, ORL, CLE, WAS, UTA, HOU, BRK, DEN)
Most seasons played before switching teams – 4 (2011-2015 with Boston)
Career averages – 12.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.6 APG on 44.4/33.9/80.4 shooting splits
The most-skilled active journeyman would definitely be Jeff Green. After being drafted 5th overall by Seattle in 2007, Green and Kevin Durant are the last two active players who wore a SuperSonics jersey. Referred to nowadays as “Uncle Jeff”, Green had a very promising future after winning 2007-2008 Rookie of the Year. He showed flashes of brilliance in OKC but was eventually traded to Boston. Shortly after, his heart condition was found, forcing him to miss the entire 2011-2012 season. Since his Celtics’ days, he has been a solid role player but has not played more than a full season with any team. He currently plays with the Denver Nuggets.
C: Javale McGee
Teams played for – 8 (WAS, DEN, PHI, DAL, GSW, LAL, CLE, PHO)
Most seasons played before switching teams – 3.5 (2008-2012 with Washington)
Career averages – 7.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.5 BPG on 57.3/17.5/59.6 shooting splits
Meet the original Shaqtin’ A Fool star, Javale McGee. After an incredibly rough start to his career with the Wizards, he was also given ample opportunity to shine in Denver but he fell out of the rotation. His minutes were replaced by Timofey Mosgov, JJ Hickson, and Jusuf Nurkic. McGee was shipped to Philadephia after playing in just 28 games from 2013-2015. After a quick pitstop in Dallas, his career took a drastic turn for the best in 2016 however. He became the nightly backup center for the Warriors who went on to win back-to-back championships. His role then increased even more when he joined the Lakers in 2018 and became their full-time starter for two seasons, adding his third championship ring in 2020 during the bubble. He has jumped around to three other teams since then and currently plays with the Phoenix Suns.
