While we associate most of the greats with just one team throughout their entire meaningful career, these legendary players changed franchise affiliations not just once but two or more times while they were still relevant on the court.
1) LeBron James (Cavaliers to Heat in 2010, Heat to Cavaliers in 2014, Cavaliers to Lakers in 2018)
When "The Decision" was made in 2010, it changed the NBA landscape in a way no other transaction ever had before. Sure, there had been moves that had a greater net effect on championships and franchise destiny, like the Hawks trading Bill Russell to the Celtics in 1956. But James' talents being taken to South Beach also completely altered the way fans, players, owners, and media perceive free agency, player-owner power balances, and the branding of the league's top talent. Opting to return to Cleveland four years later even further cemented LeBron as the most important free agency decider in NBA history. His signing with Miami proved that players had real bargaining power on their side against the owners for the first time in a generation, thanks to shoe companies, video games, endless sponsorship options, and the league public relations team building up NBA stars into larger-than-basketball brands. It also seemed to substantiate the long-standing claim that teams like Miami that could boast a big market and/or attractive locale had an unfair competitive advantage in luring talent. LeBron seemingly flipped the script four years later, electing to live in and play for his hometown area of Cleveland. There were plenty of secondary factors at work there that had to line up towards this determination, mostly James' ties to the region, the crumbling infrastructure of the Heat roster and, maybe most importantly, the public blowback after his 2010 charade. Cavs fans that once burned his jersey now welcomed him back as a conquering hero, and he finally made good on his promise to lead Cleveland to the promised land with a championship in 2016. Then he flipped the script again in 2018, signing with a Lakers team that was only marginally better on paper than the Cavaliers team he just carried to the NBA Finals, but playing in a city that allowed him to further his interests in the entertainment industry, and help his son play with the top high school talent and coaching to pursue his own career.
2) Wilt Chamberlain (Warriors to 76ers in 1965, 76ers to Lakers in 1968)
Long before free agency allowed a player like LeBron James to move freely about the league multiple times in his prime, stars that switched between teams typically did so because they were seen as a malcontent. Few players from the '60s were more beloved than Chamberlain, but simultaneously no player was more hated. That acrimony towards him even came from his own fans in Philadelphia, who blamed their temperamental center for the team's inability to break through and win a title. Things came to a head in the '64-'65 season when he missed several games early due to a supposed heart attack (it was actually pancreatitis), and the Warriors struggled to compete even when he returned. With Chamberlain's salary costing more than the rest of the team combined, and a young star center waiting in the wings in Nate Thurmond, Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli made a bold move, sending Chamberlain back to Philadelphia for Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer, Paul Newmaun, and $150,000. Chamberlain was actually reluctant at first to return to Philly, but the team quickly progressed around their new star center and in 1967 he won his first NBA title, defeating his former Warriors team in the Finals. Despite the success of the team, he became sullen one year later when management turned down his request to become player-coach. Inspired by the recent defection of Warriors star Rick Barry to the ABA, Chamberlain threatened his own desertion to the league's Los Angeles franchise. With their hand forced at the prospect of losing their superstar for nothing, the Sixers relented and traded the three-time reigning MVP to the Lakers for a package arguably even less enticing than the one the Warriors had received three years earlier (Darrall Imhoff, Archie Clark, and Jerry Chambers). Though Chamberlain was not his dominant self anymore when he took the court for Los Angeles, he was still easily among the league's best talents, and played in three NBA Finals with the Lakers, including one title in 1972.
3) Bernard King (Nets to Jazz in 1979, Jazz to Warriors in 1980, Warriors to Knicks in 1982, Knicks to Bullets in 1987)
One of the greatest and most awe-inspiring pure scorers in NBA history, King still changed hands three times in just a three year span between the ages of 23 and 26. The reasoning was simple, as he was just not able to stay upright and on the court, missing large swaths of time due to injuries and alcohol abuse. Instantly a star scorer for the subpar Nets team that drafted him, he was also the subject of substance abuse rumors which scared the team into trading him to Utah right before the '79-'80 season. He barely suited up for the Jazz, playing just 19 games before checking into a rehab facility and missing the rest of the season. By the time King was ready to return to the court he was playing for the Warriors, and though he made his first All-Star appearance with Golden State in 1982, the franchise traded him again, this time to the Knicks for a fellow troubled young star, Micheal Ray Richardson. Playing on the sports' biggest stage in Madison Square Garden, King thrived with the Knicks, becoming one of the league's biggest stars until he was waylaid by an ACL tear late in the '84-'85 season. After missing most of the '85-'86 and '86-'87 seasons, King had his rights renounced by the Knicks and signed with the Bullets. He revived his career in Washington, relying more on his wits and creativity than his previous explosiveness. Putting in four solid seasons with Washington, the last of which resulted in 28.4 points per game and his final All-Star nod, King suffered another debilitating knee injury in 1991 that ended his storied career.
4) Dennis Rodman (Pistons to Spurs in 1993, Spurs to Bulls in 1995)
Being taken seriously was always a daunting challenge for Rodman, to large extent due to actions of his own choosing. Though his teammates and coaches certainly never questioned his work ethic, he was also the epitome of the "locker room distraction" personality. It was a profound stroke of luck for Rodman that he spent almost his entire prime on teams that contained stabilizing veteran leadership on the roster and an understanding, paternal figure as coach. The one exception was the '94-'95 season with San Antonio, when John Lucas was replaced at head coach by Bob Hill who quickly grew weary of Rodman's antics (especially after he refused to join the huddle after getting benched during a game) and Rodman was traded right before the '95-'96 season to Chicago. It was a perfect landing point for "The Worm," as new teammates Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were willing to turn a blind eye to off-court decadence so long as the on-court motor and performance was intact. Meanwhile, psychology aficionado Phil Jackson tapped into Rodman's mentality in a productive way that no previous coach ever could. He won three rings in Chicago to go along with the two he collected with Detroit, then struggled in later career stops with the Mavericks and Lakers.
5) Jerry Lucas (Royals to Warriors in 1969, Warriors to Knicks in 1971)
One could easily assume that 1964 MVP winner Oscar Robertson was the undisputed star of the Royals in the '60s. But thanks in large part to the racial tension of the era and geographical location, he was actually considered an afterthought to many Cincinnati fans behind local folk hero Jerry Lucas. It's no surprise that this created an uneasy tension in the Cincinnati locker room, one that could be quelled early in Lucas' career when the team was a consistent title threat. It boiled over years later when they could no longer even reach the playoffs year-to-year. Though Robertson and Lucas were arguably the best one-two scoring punch in the NBA, the Royals had just one Conference Finals appearance to show for it. Despite his popularity, much of the blame was laid at Lucas' feet, attributed to his flagging interest in basketball. Cincinnati dealt him to San Francisco in 1969 for next to nothing, and he quickly revived his career, albeit with another mediocre team. He would finally get his chance to play with a true title contender in 1971, when the Warriors traded him to the Knicks for Cazzie Russell. Returning to his college roots positionally, playing some center to back up the oft-injured Willis Reed, Lucas won his first championship in 1973 just as his prime was starting to slip away.
6) Chris Webber (Warriors to Bullets in 1994, Wizards to Kings in 1998)
7) Tracy McGrady (Raptors to Magic in 2000, Magic to Rockets in 2004)
When Chris Webber was taken first overall in 1993 by the Warriors, no rookie salary cap existed but it was looming as a distinct possibility when the CBA expired in 1995. Sensing the opportunity to make as much money as possible right out of the gate, Webber shrewdly negotiated a $76 million dollar contract for an insane 15 year length, but with a player opt-out clause after year one. After a rookie season spent rolling his eyes at authority figures like coach Don Nelson while winning Rookie of the Year, Webber opted out and all hell broke loose. He was a restricted free agent but told Warriors management that he refused to return unless they fired Nelson. The coach actually volunteered to step down to help out the franchise, but they opted to trade Webber to Washington instead. Though he played well with the Bullets and seemed content alongside his Fab Five teammate Juwan Howard, Webber failed to stay consistently healthy and the team failed to improve beyond first round playoff fodder. The Bullets traded Webber to Sacramento in 1998 for aging former stars Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe. After a career spent perpetually disappointing fans, Webber finally found a niche on the Kings with his high-post passing and jump shooting, and quickly became a fan favorite.
By the time McGrady was drafted in 1997 the opt-out clause for rookies had been stricken from the CBA, so he played out his three-year rookie deal for the Raptors before testing free agency. An obvious rising star, the 21-year-old drew interest around the league, despite missing a lot of playing time due to injuries, and never having averaged more than 15.4 points per game in a season. Seeking to escape the shadow of Vince Carter in Toronto, McGrady opted to sign with the Magic. He would later reveal that a contingent of agents, family members and hangers-on were pushing him in all kinds of suggested directions, especially Chicago, but ultimately McGrady was concerned about Michael Jordan's shadow just as much as he was Carter's (another main factor was that the Orlando was relatively close to his hometown in Auburndale, FL). He would eventually admit regret at leaving a solid situation in Toronto, which was personified by his sullen, though outstanding, performances in four years in Orlando, as he blossomed into an All-Star even though the team struggled to contend. The Magic eventually traded McGrady to Houston in 2004 in yet another rebuilding attempt, and he spent the majority of his remaining career as a superstar with the Rockets.
8) Moses Malone (Rockets to 76ers in 1982, 76ers to Bullets in 1986)
During his ABA and NBA career that spanned two decades, Malone's contract rights were owned by 11 different teams. Two of those teams, the Jazz and Trail Blazers, never even suited him up for a game before losing him. The Buffalo Braves fared only slightly better, putting Malone out on the court just twice in the '76-'77 season before trading him to the Rockets. Reunited in Houston with his former ABA coach Tom Nissalke, Malone quickly established himself as one of the league's premier players, winning the MVP award in 1979 and 1982, and carrying an undermanned Rockets team the 1981 NBA Finals. Despite the star center hitting new peaks in the '81-'82 season, the rebuilding Rockets were willing to trade him to a more established contender, delivering him to the 76ers for Caldwell Jones and a first round pick. Though Malone was arguably a better player during his tenure with Houston, his exploits with Philadelphia are far more renowned, as he won both MVP and Finals MVP in 1983, while anchoring one of the greatest title teams ever assembled. He wasn't quite the same player by the '85-'86 season as he turned 30, but he was still an All-Star level talent, with a rebound-heavy game well suited to continue into his golden years. The Sixers were rebuilding around Charles Barkley by then, so they traded Malone to Washington for some young talent and draft picks. He was named to two All-Star teams with the Bullets, but he couldn't manage to drag them past the first round of the playoffs.
9) Jason Kidd (Mavericks to Suns in 1996, Suns to Nets in 2001)
It's rare enough to see NBA teams swapping star point guards in their primes, so it's even more outlandish that it happened to Kidd twice in a five-year span. The first trade was in 1996, when the young, disgruntled Kidd demanded to be extricated from Dallas where he was feuding with teammate Jim Jackson. His wish was granted in a deal that brought over Sam Cassell and other veteran pieces from the Suns. During his time in Phoenix, Kidd established himself as arguably the league's best point guard, and by all accounts was happy with his surroundings. It came as a surprise then when the Suns dealt him to New Jersey in exchange for Stephon Marbury right before the start of the '01-'02 season. There were rumors that the Suns were upset at the accusations that Kidd had assaulted his wife, and wanted a new clean moral slate on the roster (the general manager at the time, Jerry Colangelo, is infamous for jettisoning players that he doesn't believe fit his right wing Christian values). Kidd was still only 28 years old at this point and really just hitting his prime. He finished second in league MVP voting in '01-'02, and immediately led the Nets to their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.
10) Adrian Dantley (Braves to Pacers in 1977, Pacers to Lakers in 1977, Lakers to Jazz in 1979, Jazz to Pistons in 1986, Pistons to Mavericks in 1989)
Considering that they drafted three Rookie of the Year winners in a five year span, it's pretty amazing the Buffalo Braves couldn't manage to blossom into a even a fringe contender in the late '70s. It certainly didn't help that one of those award winners, Dantley, got traded immediately after being handed his trophy. Despite arriving on the scene as one of the NBA's most prolific pure scorers, Dantley was traded three times in his first three NBA seasons, as he garnered a reputation for being sullen and selfish. After the Pacers dealt him to the Lakers during the '77-'78 season, the star scorer was shipped again right before the '79-'80 campaign to Utah. Though his best individual performances would come with the Jazz, one can only imagine how many titles Dantley may have won had he been retained by a Lakers team that had just drafted Magic Johnson. Instead he toiled for Utah teams that scored a lot of points but never made a splash in the postseason. In 1986 he was traded again, this time to Detroit, and seemed to assimilate well into the Pistons' team-oriented ethos. But right after losing in the 1988 NBA Finals to his former Lakers team, the star forward was traded one last time, to the Mavericks, for Mark Aguirre. Already losing his touch by then, closing out his prime at age 32, Dantley put in one last spurt of offensive explosion for Dallas, possibly out of spite towards the Pistons team that ejected him (but went on to win back-to-back titles without him).
11) Shaquille O'Neal (Magic to Lakers in 1996, Lakers to Heat in 2004)
12) Dwight Howard (Magic to Lakers in 2012, Lakers to Rockets in 2013)
Few were surprised when O'Neal opted to leave the Magic in the summer of 1996 and sign the then largest-ever contract in NBA history with the Lakers. Seeking a career in the entertainment industry to supplement his basketball stardom, Shaq was always going to be happier in Hollywood than Orlando. He was also insulted by the low-ball offer he received from owner Rich DeVos (father-in-law of noted yacht collector Betsy DeVos) and a poll in the Orlando Sentinal where fans overwhelmingly voted that O'Neal wasn't worth the contract amount for which he was asking. There was also still an existing standard back then that the great ones always ended up eventually with the Lakers or Celtics. Wilt Chamberlain forced a trade to the Lakers in 1968, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar followed suit seven years later, and Shaq's free agent signing just seemed like a natural progression (he even appeared on a Sports Illustrated cover with Abdul-Jabbar and George Mikan before ever taking the court in L.A.). Though it's debatable how O'Neal's career would have looked like had he stayed in Orlando, there's no doubting that his time with the Lakers was the basis of legends, winning league MVP once, and Finals MVP three times while leading the Lakers to a three-peat. With his extra-curricular careers fizzling and his relationship with Kobe Bryant deteriorating, O'Neal packed up and returned to Florida in 2004, signing a contract with the Heat, whom he helped win the title in 2006. After his prime wound down, he made later stops with the Suns, Cavaliers, and Celtics before retiring.
At the same time O'Neal was returned to Florida with the Heat, the Magic had begun developing their newest superstar center, Dwight Howard. Though he never reached the level of dominance that Shaq attained, Howard did ascend to NBA royalty, especially when he carried Orlando to the 2009 NBA Finals. Conventional wisdom still held that the great ones eventually had to play somewhere like Los Angeles, and so in 2012 Howard forced ownership to trade him to the Lakers in a blockbuster deal that also included the Nuggets and 76ers. Unlike the Lakers' other forays into collecting superstar talent, this endeavor didn't end so well. Teaming Howard with an aging and injury-prone duo of Bryant and Pau Gasol turned out disastrous, and the Lakers barely managed to even reach the playoffs in 2013. A free agent that summer, Howard ditched the Lakers for Houston. Having also missed out that same summer on signing Chris Paul or Carmelo Anthony, it was a signal that the NBA free agency landscape had changed, and not for the betterment of the Lakers.
13) Tiny Archibald (Kings to Nets in 1976, Nets to Braves in 1977, Clippers to Celtics in 1978)
Born in the projects of the Bronx, Archibald built all the tools necessary to overcome adversity as he spent his childhood blossoming into a star basketball player despite his size disadvantage and lack of confidence. Drafted by the Kings in 1970, supposedly sight unseen, he was an instant star for the franchise in the years it transitioned from Cincinnati to Kansas City. In ’72-’73 he became the first, and last, player to lead the league in scoring and assists in the same season, and was a consistent presence on the All-Star and All-NBA teams. But the lowly Kings made the playoffs just once in Archibald’s time there, a six game cameo in 1975. Starting to struggle already by then due to injuries and workload on his diminutive body, he was traded to the Nets in 1976. Coming off their merger from the ABA, the Nets didn’t get much out of Archibald on the court, but packaged him in a trade to Buffalo for a haul of draft picks. Desperate for a star on the court, the Braves had high hopes for Archibald, but he never actually suited up for the team, missing the entire ’77-’78 season due to an Achilles tear, and then getting traded to Boston. With a Celtics team rebuilding around Larry Bird, Archibald finally got to play on a contender and had a career revival, starting at point guard in ’80-’81 as Boston won the title.
14) Ray Allen (Bucks to SuperSonics in 2003, SuperSonics to Celtics in 2007)
It’s debatable whether Allen’s early career was derailed by playing mostly on poor teams in Milwaukee and Seattle, or if he was just incapable of carrying a team as its best player. Either way, the fact remains that he participated in the second round of the playoffs just twice in the first 11 years of his career. After getting traded to the Celtics in 2007 and teaming up with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce as the “Big Three,” Allen finally found playoff success, helping Boston to a championship in his first year there, and playing in the NBA Finals again in 2010. As for his early years, it can’t be stressed enough how bad the Bucks were when they traded for him on draft day in 1996. Highlighted by malcontents like Vin Baker and washed-up role players like Joe Wolf, it took several years for the team to completely rebuild around Allen and Glenn Robinson. Though they finally made a playoffs run in 2001 that ended with a controversial Conference Finals loss to the Sixers, Milwaukee were wracked by injuries in ensuing years, and dealt Allen to Seattle at the 2003 trade deadline. After several up-and-down years with the Sonics, and then his coronation with the Celtics, Allen eventually won one more title as a role player for the Heat, though he was well past his prime at that point.
15) Bob McAdoo (Braves to Knicks in 1976, Knicks to Celtics in 1979, Celtics to Pistons in 1979, Pistons to Nets in 1981, Nets to Lakers in 1981)
Only two years old when they drafted McAdoo second overall in 1972, the Braves were granted instant legitimacy by their new young star. Maybe the best pure shooting big man the league had ever seen, McAdoo had an array of post moves to go with his deadly mid-range jumper. In addition to winning Rookie of the Year in 1973 and MVP in 1975, he led Buffalo to three straight playoff appearances. But those postseason appearances did little to improve attendance for the Braves, and ownership began cleaning house in anticipation of selling the franchise (they would soon move to San Diego) and dealt McAdoo to the Knicks in 1977. The bright lights and pressure of playing in Willis Reed’s shoes proved too much for McAdoo, and his career quickly spiraled as he bounced from the slumping Knicks to the aging Celtics to the just plain bad Pistons to the even worse Nets, all in the span of just two years. Just a few years removed from being so good that his only true peer in the league was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the languishing McAdoo finally joined a contender in 1981, when he was traded to his former rival’s Lakers. Remaking himself as a dangerous scoring and rebounding threat off the bench, he played in four straight NBA Finals with Los Angeles, winning titles in 1982 and 1984.
16) Chris Paul (Hornets to Clippers in 2011, Clippers to Rockets in 2017)
He was the first, and really only, big star of the New Orleans Hornets era, but the team knew all along they had little chance of retaining Paul when he became a free agent in 2012. Early in the '11-'12 season, the franchise reached a deal in principle to ship Paul to the Lakers, but the trade was nullified by David Stern, who technically owned the team at the time. A few days later Paul got traded to the other Los Angeles team, the Clippers, granting the franchise its first real legitimacy since its days as the Buffalo Braves with Bob McAdoo in the mid '70s. For six seasons with the Clippers, Paul was consistently one of the league's best players, and he eventually broke Randy Smith's record for total assists. But the Clippers notoriously hit the wall in the playoffs, losing in the first round four times and the second round twice. Traded to the Rockets in 2017, he paired with James Harden in a killer back court and finally reached the Conference Finals, only to have his cruelest playoff experience yet, a hamstring injury that forced Paul to watch from the sidelines as his teammates lost games six and seven to the Warriors. There were rumors that he would switch addresses again as a free agent in 2018, perhaps finally joining his longtime friend LeBron James somewhere, but instead he re-signed with the Rockets for four more years.