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Who had the best teammates?

Burleigh Grimes played with 35 Hall of Famers. Barry Sanders played with none. The best supporting casts in five sports, and the greats who did it on their own.

By Austin · October 16, 2026

Some greats played surrounded by greats. Others carried a team on their own. We took each sport’s honored players (Hall of Famers in baseball, football and hockey, the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, and Ballon d’Or winners and FIFPRO World 11 picks in soccer) and counted how many of the others each one played with.

Sport	Most honored teammates	On their own
Baseball	Burleigh Grimes (35)	Alan Trammell (1)
Basketball	Dennis Rodman (10)	Reggie Miller (0)
Football	Jerry Rice (20)	Barry Sanders (0)
Hockey	Brett Hull (28)	Cam Neely (3)
Soccer	Sergio Ramos (27)	Allan Simonsen (0)

Baseball

The best supporting casts

Baseball's best-connected Hall of Famers are pitchers who moved around in the 1920s and 30s, when the Hall's veterans committees elected many of the stars they played with.

	Player	Career	Hall of Famers played with	Including
1	Burleigh Grimes	1916–1934	35	Mel Ott, Billy Herman, Bill Dickey
2	Waite Hoyt	1918–1938	33	Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx, Bill Dickey
3	Dan Brouthers	1879–1904	24	Nap Lajoie, Fred Clarke, Willie Keeler
4	Rogers Hornsby	1915–1937	22	Mel Ott, Billy Herman, Joe Medwick
5	Freddie Lindstrom	1924–1936	22	Mel Ott, Billy Herman, Arky Vaughan
6	Hoyt Wilhelm	1952–1972	22	Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial
7	Rich Gossage	1972–1994	22	Tony Gwynn, Reggie Jackson, Ivan Rodriguez
8	High Pockets Kelly	1915–1932	21	Mel Ott, Gabby Hartnett, Frankie Frisch
9	Eddie Collins	1906–1930	20	Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Ty Cobb
10	Orlando Cepeda	1958–1974	20	Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Carl Yastrzemski

On their own

The fewest honored teammates for each season played, among careers of ten seasons or more. Alan Trammell played 20 seasons for Detroit, and his only Hall of Fame teammate was Jack Morris. Lou Whitaker, his double-play partner for 19 of them, isn't in.

Player	Career	Seasons	Hall of Famers played with
Alan Trammell	1977–1996	20	1
George Brett	1973–1993	21	3
Roberto Clemente	1955–1972	18	3
Bill Mazeroski	1956–1972	17	3
Johnny Bench	1967–1983	17	3
Al Kaline	1953–1974	22	4
Cap Anson	1871–1897	27	5
Vladimir Guerrero	1996–2011	16	3

Basketball

The best supporting casts

Basketball's list is the veterans who went chasing rings: Dennis Rodman with the Pistons, Spurs and Bulls, Shaquille O'Neal with six teams, Bob McAdoo on the Showtime Lakers.

	Player	Career	75th Anniversary Team members played with	Including
1	Dennis Rodman	1986–1999	10	Dirk Nowitzki, Moses Malone, Robert Parish
2	Shaquille O'Neal	1992–2010	10	LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone
3	Bob McAdoo	1972–1985	10	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Magic Johnson
4	Robert Parish	1976–1996	8	Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen
5	Carmelo Anthony	2003–2021	8	LeBron James, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook
6	Moses Malone	1976–1994	8	Elvin Hayes, Charles Barkley, Julius Erving
7	Gary Payton	1990–2006	7	Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Dwyane Wade
8	Jerry Lucas	1963–1973	7	Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Dave DeBusschere
9	Charles Barkley	1984–1999	6	Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Julius Erving
10	Ray Allen	1996–2013	6	LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett

On their own

The fewest honored teammates for each season played, among careers of ten seasons or more. Reggie Miller spent 18 seasons with the Indiana Pacers and never had a teammate from the 75th Anniversary Team.

Player	Career	Seasons	75th Anniversary Team members played with
Reggie Miller	1987–2004	18	0
John Stockton	1984–2002	19	1
Patrick Ewing	1985–2001	17	1
Dolph Schayes	1949–1963	15	1
Allen Iverson	1996–2009	14	1
Isiah Thomas	1981–1993	13	1
Giannis Antetokounmpo	2013–2025	13	1
Bob Pettit	1954–1964	11	1

Football

The best supporting casts

Football's list is led by the 49ers and Raiders of the 1980s and 90s, the deepest rosters of the time.

	Player	Career	Hall of Famers played with	Including
1	Jerry Rice	1985–2004	20	Rod Woodson, Tim Brown, Ronnie Lott
2	Dave Casper	1974–1984	19	Bruce Matthews, Mike Haynes, Mike Munchak
3	Deion Sanders	1989–2005	19	Jerry Rice, Ray Lewis, Brett Favre
4	Marcus Allen	1982–1997	16	Tony Gonzalez, Tim Brown, Ronnie Lott
5	Rod Woodson	1987–2003	16	Jerry Rice, Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden
6	Chris Doleman	1985–1999	15	Jerry Rice, Rod Woodson, Randall McDaniel
7	Cliff Branch	1972–1985	14	Mike Haynes, Ted Hendricks, Howie Long
8	Ray Guy	1973–1986	14	Mike Haynes, Ted Hendricks, Howie Long
9	Roger Craig	1983–1993	14	Jerry Rice, Randall McDaniel, Tim Brown
10	Ronnie Lott	1981–1995	13	Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Joe Montana

On their own

The fewest honored teammates for each season played, among careers of ten seasons or more. Barry Sanders ran for 15,269 yards in ten seasons in Detroit without a single Hall of Fame teammate, then retired a season after his 2,053-yard year.

Player	Career	Seasons	Hall of Famers played with
Barry Sanders	1989–1998	10	0
Ozzie Newsome	1978–1990	13	1
Joe Klecko	1977–1988	12	1
Anthony Munoz	1980–1993	14	2
Harry Carson	1976–1988	13	2
Lawrence Taylor	1981–1993	13	2
Dan Marino	1983–1999	17	3
Andre Tippett	1982–1993	11	2

Hockey

The best supporting casts

Hockey's list is the stars who were traded to contenders: Brett Hull, Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy each won Cups on several teams.

	Player	Career	Hall of Famers played with	Including
1	Brett Hull	1985–2005	28	Chris Chelios, Mike Modano, Scott Stevens
2	Paul Coffey	1980–2000	27	Chris Chelios, Mark Messier, Brendan Shanahan
3	Dave Andreychuk	1982–2005	24	Ray Bourque, Scott Stevens, Martin Brodeur
4	Doug Gilmour	1983–2002	23	Chris Chelios, Scott Stevens, Martin Brodeur
5	Phil Housley	1982–2002	23	Scott Stevens, Martin Brodeur, Jarome Iginla
6	Chris Chelios	1983–2009	22	Brendan Shanahan, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brett Hull
7	Guy Lafleur	1971–1990	22	Chris Chelios, Larry Robinson, Joe Sakic
8	Guy Lapointe	1968–1983	22	Ray Bourque, Larry Robinson, Guy Lafleur
9	Larry Murphy	1980–2000	22	Chris Chelios, Mike Modano, Scott Stevens
10	Tom Barrasso	1983–2002	21	Dave Andreychuk, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis

On their own

The fewest honored teammates for each season played, among careers of ten seasons or more.

Player	Career	Seasons	Hall of Famers played with
Cam Neely	1983–1995	13	3
Bobby Clarke	1969–1983	15	4
Borje Salming	1973–1989	17	5
Denis Potvin	1973–1987	15	5
Bill Barber	1972–1983	12	4
Gilbert Perreault	1970–1986	17	6
Marcel Dionne	1971–1988	18	7
Bernie Federko	1976–1989	14	6

Soccer

The best supporting casts

Soccer's list is the players who moved between the great clubs of the last twenty years, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain.

	Player	Career	Ballon d'Or or World 11 players played with	Including
1	Sergio Ramos	2003–2023	27	Luka Modrić, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi
2	Ángel Di María	2010–2022	27	Luka Modrić, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos
3	Zlatan Ibrahimović	2004–2022	26	Lionel Messi, Ángel Di María, Thiago Silva
4	Lionel Messi	2004–2022	25	Sergio Ramos, Kylian Mbappé, Ángel Di María
5	Samuel Eto'o	1998–2014	23	Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones
6	Toni Kroos	2007–2023	23	Luka Modrić, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos
7	Xabi Alonso	1999–2016	22	Luka Modrić, Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo
8	Cristiano Ronaldo	2003–2022	22	Luka Modrić, Sergio Ramos, Ángel Di María
9	Dani Alves	2002–2021	22	Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Kylian Mbappé
10	Thiago Alcántara	2008–2023	22	Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, Manuel Neuer

On their own

The fewest honored teammates for each season played, among careers of ten seasons or more.

Player	Career	Seasons	Ballon d'Or or World 11 players played with
Allan Simonsen	1972–1982	11	0
Kevin Keegan	1971–1981	11	0
Lothar Matthäus	1979–1999	21	1
Michel Platini	1972–1986	14	1
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	1974–1986	13	2
Paolo Rossi	1973–1986	12	2
Roberto Baggio	1985–2003	19	4
Jean-Pierre Papin	1986–1997	12	4

Why this matters in Teammate Chain

When a Teammate Chain puzzle says Hall of Famers only, the players at the top of these lists are the ones to build through: one link reaches dozens of the others. The players on their own are dead ends. See also the most stacked rosters ever.

How we counted

Baseball: players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame (Lahman's Hall of Fame table).
Basketball: the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, picked in 2021.
Football: players elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Hockey: players elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Soccer: Ballon d'Or winners and FIFPRO World 11 picks.

Two players are teammates if they were on the same roster in the same season. The “on their own” lists rank by honored teammates per season played, and leave out careers that ended in the last 15 years, whose teammates may still be elected (except basketball’s, whose 75th Anniversary Team was picked once, in 2021).

About the data

These numbers come from the rosters behind Teammate Chain, not from every league a player ever played in. Two players count as teammates only if both are on the same club’s roster for the same season in our data, so a player who spent part of his career somewhere we don’t cover has fewer teammates here than he really had.

Baseball: every MLB and major-league season since 1871. Every major-league season is included, back to the National Association, so baseball careers are complete.
Basketball: every NBA season since 1946-47 (BAA included). The ABA isn't included, so ABA seasons (Julius Erving's, Moses Malone's, Spencer Haywood's first) don't count. Some rosters from the 1960s to the 1980s are incomplete.
Football: every NFL season since the 1970 merger. Nothing before 1970, so the AFL and the pre-merger NFL are missing, along with the USFL, XFL and other leagues. A career like George Blanda's (1949-1975) only counts from 1970.
Hockey: every NHL season since the 1967 expansion. Nothing before 1967-68, and no WHA, so Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull, for example, only count from 1967.
Soccer: Europe's top five leagues since 1963-64. Only league matches in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1. Seasons anywhere else (Portugal, the Netherlands, Turkey, MLS, lower divisions) and cup and international matches aren't included. Teammates count from the club's squad list, even a player who didn't play that season; career lengths count only the seasons he played. A career that starts with a newly promoted club may have begun in a lower division, so those careers are left out of the lists.

Careers that are still going count through the latest season in the data, as of October 17, 2026. Players who share a name are kept apart by their league ids and birth dates, and a player listed on a roster for a season he didn’t play (an injured rookie, a draft pick still overseas) isn’t counted for it. Spot a mistake? Let us know.

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