10 Fan-Favorite NBA Stars Who Played for Unfamiliar Teams

Highlights

• Some of the most iconic NBA players who changed teams left fans in a bit of disbelief after the surprising team changes.
• Among the 10 biggest names are Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing, among others.
• Some of the stars who switched teams found some level of success, though, including the likes of Dwyane Wade and Jordan.

Every NBA offseason, we have seen players begin to change teams around the league. Many of them have been with their current squads for a long time, and it is strange to see them embrace another team’s jersey.

When our favorite stars are traded or “jump ship” to another team, it usually signifies the ending of an era or dynasty for which many of us were not ready to see. It is similar to falling in love with a T.V. star in one show, then the T.V. series ends, and you see them embrace another role on a different show. No matter how many shows Jaleel White is in, he will still be Steve Urkel to all of us.

In football, Tom Brady will always be a member of the New England Patriots in our eyes, and Joe Montana never looked right in a Kansas City Chiefs jersey.

We have been forced to embrace that our favorite stars on our favorite teams will likely finish their careers in another city. We must live with the fact that teams will change direction, there will be unreconcilable differences between a star and an organization, or a player will leave to find a team where he stands a better chance of winning an NBA championship.

Let’s examine 10 of our favorite NBA stars who played for unfamiliar teams.

10 Patrick Ewing – Seattle Supersonics

Four-team trade sent the Knicks legend to the Sonics

After 15 seasons of dominating the NBA in the classic New York Knicks blue and orange jerseys, center Patrick Ewing found himself toward the tail end of his illustrious career and involved in a four-team trade that landed him on the Seattle Supersonics roster.

Ewing, arguably the greatest Knick of all time, was an 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA player, and Defensive Player of the Year with New York’s favorite basketball team. Throughout the 1990s, we witnessed classic battles between Patrick’s Knicks, the Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers. We even witnessed them go head-to-head with the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals.

Obviously, at the tail end of his career, Ewing’s production was down across the board as he had a respectable showing with the Sonics team. Still, his lackluster play was symbolic of how fans felt when seeing him enter the game in anything other than a Knicks jersey.

9 Shaquille O’Neal – Cleveland Cavaliers

O’Neal was hoping to help LeBron James win his first title

In what would be the fifth of Shaquille O’Neal‘s six landing spots in the NBA, we saw the “Big Diesel” get traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. After failing to help deliver a championship in Phoenix, the NBA’s most dominant big man felt he still had what it took to help a team get to the ultimate goal of winning an NBA title.

However, Shaq was past his prime, and it became just as uncomfortable to see him perform as it was to watch him play in a Cavaliers jersey. Additionally, it became noticeable that we were at the end of an era. Fans were used to seeing Shaq carry teams to victory in the past. He helped the Orlando Magic make the franchise’s first playoff appearance and NBA Finals appearance.

Then, we witnessed the Big Aristotle win three straight NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Afterward, Shaq played a significant part in the Miami Heat winning the first-ever NBA championship in franchise history. We watched Shaq get back to all-NBA form with the Phoenix Suns after starting his tenure in Phoenix riddled with injuries.

So, it was reasonable to believe he could make a solid contribution in Cleveland. Unfortunately, his respectable contributions were not Shaq-like and insufficient to take the Cavs to a championship.

8 Tracy McGrady – New York Knicks

Rockets trade McGrady to New York to dump salary

Tracy McGrady started his career with the Toronto Raptors and then the Orlando Magic, where he rose to stardom. However, he solidified his legacy in the six seasons he played with the Houston Rockets.

Though the team never made it past the first round of the playoffs in his tenure there, some of his greatest performances were with the Rockets. His most famous one was when he scored 13 points in 33 seconds to win a game against the San Antonio Spurs on December 9th, 2004.

Sadly, Tracy’s tenure with the Rockets ended on a tough note. He was plagued with knee injuries toward the end of his time with the team, and in an unfortunate turn of events, Tracy caused a rift by having season-ending surgery on his left knee without informing the team. The coaching staff only learned of the injury when they read about it in the Houston newspaper.

Afterward, “T-Mac” was never the same player. He was traded to the New York Knicks in a three-team deal and played only 24 games with the team, posting his lowest numbers since the second season of his career.

7 Tony Parker – Charlotte Hornets

Parker signs with the Hornets for a more significant role

After playing 16 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, it was difficult and strange to see one of the top five French NBA players, Tony Parker, in a Charlotte Hornets jersey. Throughout Parker’s All-Star career with the Spurs, he was instrumental in bringing the team four NBA titles. However, due to age and injuries late in his career, he began to watch his role with the team diminish.

So, when his 2018 free agency rolled around, he was asked to take a mentorship role with the team as a veteran who would help develop the next generation. However, Parker accepted an offer from the Hornets, who targeted him for a more significant role with their team.

Obviously, Parker felt he had a lot more left in the tank. Still, after playing one season for the Hornets, coming off the bench, the former All-NBA guard retired.

6 Dwyane Wade – Chicago Bulls

Wade signs with his favorite childhood team in free agency

Born and raised in Chicago, Dwyane Wade grew up dreaming of one day becoming a member of the Chicago Bulls. However, he rose to fame in the NBA with the Miami Heat. As a sign of respect for what “D-Wade” accomplished in Miami, many affectionately renamed the county Wade County instead of Dade County.

After 13 seasons with the Heat and helping to bring the franchise its three NBA titles, Wade felt unappreciated by Heat management and ownership during contract negotiations in 2018. He decided to take his talents to Chicago to play for his favorite childhood team.

Though he only played one season for the Bulls, he put up respectable numbers. However, fans never got used to seeing D-Wade play for anyone but the Heat.

5 Allen Iverson – Detroit Pistons

Nuggets traded Iverson to the Pistons to get younger

With an up-and-coming J.R. Smith on the Denver Nuggets roster behind Allen Iverson, the team pulled off a trade that allowed Smith to come to the forefront and blossom. Iverson was at the end of his contract, making him an attractive trade piece for the Detroit Pistons.

It was becoming apparent that “AI” wasn’t the player he once was. He had just come off a season with his lowest point-per-game performance, so the team pulled the trigger on the trade after three games of the new season.

As fans, we were used to seeing Iverson’s offensive explosion and skilled play with the Philadelphia 76ers. He single handedly carried his team to the NBA Finals in 2001 and is one of the most prolific scorers the league has ever seen. Fans struggled while seeing him in a Nuggets jersey. However, seeing him in Pistons attire, playing subpar basketball, was outright unfamiliar.

4 Hakeem Olajuwon – Toronto Raptors

Olajuwon feels unappreciated and goes to the Raptors

After 17 seasons leading the charge in Houston, it looked strange to see Hakeem Olajuwon in anything but a Houston Rockets jersey. In those 17 years, we saw Olajuwon become a 12-time All-Star, two-time NBA champion, and two-time Finals MVP. He made the All-NBA team 12 times, the All-Defensive team nine times, and was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

As he got older, Olajuwon’s numbers began to decline. When it came time for contract negotiations, he felt undervalued by the Rockets, who only offered him a three-year, $13 million contract extension. The Toronto Raptors offered Hakeem “The Dream” a three-year deal worth $16.7 million.

In a statement, Olajuwon said, “Toronto realized I have value to their organization.” He only played one season with the Raptors and spent a third of the season coming off the bench. It was hard to accept that we were witnessing the beginning of the end when Hakeem left Houston. He just didn’t look quite right in a Raptor jersey.

3 Karl Malone – Los Angeles Lakers

Malone joins the Los Angeles Lakers to chase an NBA title

Karl Malone is considered one of the NBA’s ironmen. He played 18 of his Hall of Fame seasons with the Utah Jazz. The team had success with “The Mailman” leading the charge, including two trips to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. Unfortunately, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dashed those championship hopes, as they did for many others in the 90s.

As Malone neared the end of his career, he wanted to play for a team where he stood the greatest chance of winning a championship. The L.A. Lakers were fresh off a championship three-peat and looking for number four. So, it seemed like a no-brainer for Malone to take his talents to Los Angeles.

Sadly, Malone was injured early in the season, something he rarely experienced throughout his illustrious career, and was sidelined for 39 games. Still, the team made it to the NBA Finals but lost to the up-and-coming Detroit Pistons.

At that point, it was obvious that Malone’s career was declining, and he retired after one lackluster season with the Lakers.

2 Scottie Pippen – Houston Rockets

Bulls trade Pippen to the Rockets and blow up their dynasty

In Scottie Pippen’s 11 years with the Chicago Bulls, we watched him establish himself as a defensive powerhouse and one of the best players in the NBA. Often known as the sidekick to Michael Jordan, those six championships the Bulls won in the 1990s (1991,92,92,96,97, and 98) wouldn’t have happened without Pippen.

As a Bull, Pippen was also a seven-time All-Star, eight-time All-Defensive team member, seven-time All-NBA player, and a gold medal winner in the 1992 Olympics as part of the infamous Dream Team.

At the end of the Bulls dynasty, we saw Jordan retire, Phil Jackson move on from coaching (for the time being), and Pippen was traded to the Rockets. Seeing him in a Rockets jersey was a constant reminder that the Bulls dynasty we knew and loved was officially over. As Pippen moved on, he never elevated his game back to an All-Star level, and though he was productive, he was never the same player he once was.

1 Michael Jordan – Washington Wizards

Jordan came out of retirement to join the Wizards

Arguably the greatest player to lace up a pair of sneakers, Michael Jordan is best known for his playing days with the Bulls. His posters were plastered on walls across the entire United States, and even the world.

In the 1990s, we watched “M.J.” lead his Bulls team to six NBA titles in eight seasons (he took two seasons off to play baseball). As heartbreaking as it was, fans watched as Jordan retired for what we thought was the final time in 1998. It was a career with a storybook ending. Jordan had hit a game-winner over Bryon Russell to seal the deal and secure a championship in what was believed to be the final shot of his career.

So, imagine how weird it was for the world to see its most famous star come out of retirement in 2001 and take the court in a Washington Wizards jersey. It was clear that he wasn’t the player he once was, though he was still a great player, all things considered. However, his time with the Wizards is a period most of us try to pretend never existed.