Players who played for the Nuggets and the Pelicans

33 players · NBA since 1996/97

33 players have played for both the Nuggets and the Pelicans in the NBA since 1996/97. 24 played for the Nuggets first and 9 for the Pelicans first. The longest-serving played 537 games across both; the top scorer got 6,735 points; the first move came in 1996/97, the most recent in 2025/26.

Can you name all 33?

0/330:00

  1.  Nuggets 406 · Pelicans 131
  2.  Nuggets 409 · Pelicans 104
  3.  Nuggets 261 · Pelicans 157
  4.  Nuggets 302 · Pelicans 84
  5.  Nuggets 69 · Pelicans 250
  6.  Nuggets 97 · Pelicans 165
  7.  Nuggets 188 · Pelicans 23
  8.  Nuggets 148 · Pelicans 43
  9.  Nuggets 68 · Pelicans 102
  10.  Nuggets 3 · Pelicans 163
  11.  Nuggets 129 · Pelicans 33
  12.  Nuggets 144 · Pelicans 15
  13.  Nuggets 7 · Pelicans 143
  14.  Nuggets 52 · Pelicans 73
  15.  Nuggets 30 · Pelicans 91
  16.  Nuggets 108 · Pelicans 11
  17.  Nuggets 82 · Pelicans 29
  18.  Nuggets 82 · Pelicans 24
  19.  Nuggets 74 · Pelicans 32
  20.  Nuggets 36 · Pelicans 65
  21.  Nuggets 77 · Pelicans 2
  22.  Nuggets 47 · Pelicans 27
  23.  Nuggets 33 · Pelicans 30
  24.  Nuggets 57 · Pelicans 3
  25.  Nuggets 22 · Pelicans 36
  26.  Nuggets 27 · Pelicans 19
  27.  Nuggets 2 · Pelicans 38
  28.  Nuggets 1 · Pelicans 34
  29.  Nuggets 24 · Pelicans 9
  30.  Nuggets 21 · Pelicans 2
  31.  Nuggets 20 · Pelicans 3
  32.  Nuggets 12 · Pelicans 3
  33.  Nuggets 3 · Pelicans 9

Who stands out

Spoilers

JR Smith has the most games for the two combined: 406 for the Nuggets and 131 for the Pelicans. JR Smith scored the most points across both: 5,530 for the Nuggets and 1,205 for the Pelicans.

In our data, Anthony Goldwire was the first to have played for both (his first game for the Nuggets came in 1996/97). The most recent player to play for both is Trey Alexander, who first played for the Pelicans in 2025/26.

Show all 33 players

Spoilers
Every player who played for the Nuggets and the Pelicans (NBA since 1996/97): games and points at each, seasons, and which team came first.
PlayerNuggetsPelicansFirst
GPtsSeasonsGPtsSeasons
JR Smith4065,5302006–20111311,2052004–2006Pelicans
Chris Andersen4092,0922001–20121046802004–2008Nuggets
James Posey2612,4621999–20031571,1242008–2010Nuggets
Ryan Bowen3029571999–2004841652007–2009Nuggets
Jonas Valanciunas695782025/262503,6452021–2024Pelicans
Austin Rivers976472020–20221651,1462012–2015Pelicans
Bruce Brown1881,8502022–2026231892024/25Nuggets
Jameer Nelson1481,3132014–2017432212017/18Nuggets
Bobby Jackson687901997/981029172006–2008Nuggets
Devin Brown3182002/031631,3852006–2010Nuggets
Anthony Goldwire1291,0301996–2001331901996/97Pelicans
DeAndre Jordan1445652022–202515652025–2027Nuggets
Ian Clark7132014/151431,0222017–2019Nuggets
Alonzo Gee522012014–2017733252015/16Nuggets
Melvin Ely30692010/11913202007–2014Pelicans
Jordan Hamilton1085932011–2014111252015/16Nuggets
Junior Harrington824182002/03291632004/05Nuggets
Dale Ellis821,3611996/9724551999/00Nuggets
Robert Pack744792000/01321602002/03Nuggets
DeMarcus Cousins363292021/22651,6242016–2018Pelicans
Nate Robinson776492013–2015202015/16Nuggets
Ish Smith471102022/23272392015/16Pelicans
Ricky Pierce333351996/97303471996/97Nuggets
Joe Wolf57871997/98301998/99Nuggets
George Zidek22701996–199836911996/97Pelicans
Shammond Williams272552002/0319792003/04Nuggets
Gary Clark202020/21381012021/22Nuggets
Aaron Williams161996/97341972005/06Nuggets
Trey Alexander24322024/259472025/26Nuggets
Axel Toupane21762015/162112016/17Nuggets
Jason Hart20152008/09322009/10Nuggets
Isaiah Thomas12972018/193232020/21Nuggets
James Ennis III342021/2291432015/16Pelicans

Head to head

In the NBA since 1996/97, the Nuggets and the Pelicans have met 99 times: the Nuggets won 58, the Pelicans 41.

  • Nuggets' biggest win: Pelicans 63-121 Nuggets (2008/09)
  • Pelicans' biggest win: Nuggets 90-115 Pelicans (2016/17)

More pairs

Nuggets also shares players with

Every Nuggets pair

Pelicans also shares players with

Every Pelicans pair

Play

FAQ

Spoilers
How many players have played for both the Nuggets and the Pelicans?
33 in the NBA since 1996/97: JR Smith, Chris Andersen, James Posey, Ryan Bowen, Jonas Valanciunas, Austin Rivers and 27 more.
Who has played the most games for the Nuggets and the Pelicans?
JR Smith: 406 for the Nuggets and 131 for the Pelicans, 537 in all. JR Smith scored the most points across both, 6,735.
Who is the most recent player to play for both the Nuggets and the Pelicans?
Trey Alexander. He played for the Nuggets (2024/25), then the Pelicans from 2025/26.
What period does this list cover?
NBA games from 1996/97 to the present, updated as new games are played. Earlier games aren't in our data, so all-time lists can be longer.

Data: NBA since 1996/97. Earlier games aren't included, so all-time lists can be longer.