Point guard Ish Smith is one win away from becoming an NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets - the 13th different team he has played for across 13 seasons in the league.
Smith, 34, has played 14 minutes in total during the postseason, coming during the final stages of their three lopsided victories over the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals. He also featured during the first game of the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During the regular season, the guard was a regular member of their rotation, playing just under ten minutes a night across 42 contests as the Nuggets claimed the top spot in the Western Conference. For Smith, it has been an historic year.
That is because almost a year ago, Smith moved to Denver as part of a deal for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope that sent Monte Morris and Will Barton to the Washington Wizards in exchange. In playing for the Nuggets, Smith became the first player to play for 13 different franchises.
It all started in 2010 when, after going undrafted following his four years at Wake Forest, the Houston Rockets signed Smith. After making 28 regular season appearances, he was assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to play in the NBA Development League before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies alongside Shane Battier a month later.
A further 15 outings followed during that debut season before being waived by the Grizzlies in late 2011. A short stint on the Golden State Warriors followed after they claimed the guard off waivers before waiving him again a month later.
The Orlando Magic was Smith's next stop. There he would spend 12 months playing 56 games in total before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks with JJ Redick as the Magic acquired Tobias Harris.
That offseason, he was traded to the Suns for Caron Butler. Smith played 70 games in Phoenix before being waived the following summer.
During the 2014 offseason, he re-signed for the Rockets before being waived after the preseason, eventually ending up with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was traded three months later to the New Orleans Pelicans, who again waived him.
The remainder of that season was on the Philadelphia 76ers before walking during the summer and signing with the Washington Wizards for preseason. He was waived once again in the DMV, with the Pelicans claiming the guard off of waivers.
After actually playing for them this time, for all of two months, he was traded back to Philadelphia for draft compensation. Smith again left in the summer, signing with the Detroit Pistons to make it ten teams in seven seasons.
He would spend two-and-a-half years on the Pistons before resigning with the Wizards in July 2019. Smith spent two seasons in the capital before becoming a free agent and joining his hometown Charlotte Hornets in August 2021.
A return to Washington followed six months later as the Hornets acquired Montrezl Harrell. Then that offseason was the record-breaking move to Denver - he is now on the verge of adding an NBA championship to his remarkable career.
