Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is another list of potential comebacks that would’ve been fun to play with in video games.

Needless to say, a star player coming out of retirement is a big deal, no matter what the sport. There have been some significant comebacks in NBA history, with Michael Jordan’s returns easily being the most famous (not to mention the most successful, thanks to the second threepeat). Of course, while nostalgia leads us to reflect on some of our favourite and most memorable events, curiosity also draws us to the “What Ifs”. There’s an undeniable appeal to pondering the trades and signings that could’ve been…and also, the comebacks that we might’ve seen!

A couple of years ago I reflected on five comebacks that, had they actually happened, would’ve resulted in some fun and interesting lineups to play with in video games. When Dee and I ended up discussing Darryl Dawkins’ attempted comebacks during the 90s on the NLSC Podcast, it inspired me to revisit this topic. To that end, Dr. Dunk is the first example on this list, but there are four other noteworthy players whose returns would’ve been exciting to see in real life and on the virtual hardwood alike. Their names will certainly be quite familiar, but many fans may well have forgotten that these players attempted (or at least considered) a comeback or two.

1. Darryl Dawkins: Boston Celtics (1995)

When you’re an emphatic and entertaining dunker known for naming your slams and shattering backboards, it can overshadow your other accomplishments. To that point, I’d say that it’s sometimes forgotten that Darryl Dawkins was the first player to go directly from high school to the NBA (a year earlier, Moses Malone became the first modern player to go from high school to the pros, albeit in the ABA). Having entered the league as a 19-year-old, Dawkins was still in his early 30s when he departed the NBA in 1989 after 14 seasons. As such, he was still under 40 when he attempted to make a comeback with the Denver Nuggets in 1994, and the Boston Celtics in 1995.

Chocolate Thunder – as he was dubbed by Stevie Wonder – had been playing in Italy during the 90s, but his conditioning (or lack thereof) soon put an end to those two comeback attempts. Had he been in shape and made it through training camp in 1994 or 1995, either of those comebacks would’ve been fun to play with in video games. I’m giving the nod to his 1995 attempt as it would’ve seen him back in the league during the legendary 1996 season, and he might’ve ended up getting some decent minutes on an injury-riddled Celtics roster. It would’ve been fun having him as a backup to Dikembe Mutombo in Denver too, but his minutes would’ve been scarce.

2. Dennis Rodman: Any Of His Potential Comebacks in The Early 2000s

I was so glad when Dennis Rodman went into the Basketball Hall of Fame first ballot, because I wasn’t sure it would happen. He deserved it of course, but with some of his antics on and off the court, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the controversy would overshadow his accomplishments, leading to a snub. And, in all fairness, The Worm was responsible for burning some bridges back in the day. While Phil Jackson was able to harness the chaos during the Bulls’ second threepeat, Rodman’s subsequent stints with the Lakers and Mavericks both ended before the season was through. As a result, his career didn’t conclude with the dignity or fanfare it genuinely deserved.

Unfortunately, his personal issues derailed the potential comebacks that might’ve allowed him to go out on better terms. In 2001, there were rumours of him joining the Wizards alongside a returning Michael Jordan, or perhaps playing for another former teammate in Isiah Thomas, who was now coaching the Pacers. A 2003 documentary chronicled his further attempts to make a comeback, with a motorcycle injury and erratic behaviour ultimately scaring off the Timberwolves and Nuggets. Even as late as 2004, he was hoping for one more NBA stint. I wish that one of those comebacks would’ve happened to get him back into the games, and give him a proper farewell.

3. Shawn Kemp: Dallas Mavericks or Denver Nuggets (2006)

Like Darryl Dawkins, Shawn Kemp was a teenager when he made his NBA debut, and thus was still only in his early 30s when his tenure in the league ended after 14 seasons. Kemp also infamously struggled with his conditioning later on in his career, as well as problems with substance abuse. Despite having a solid year for the Magic in 2003, The Reignman was done with basketball…or so he thought. A couple of years later, Kemp considered a comeback, determined to finish his career on a better note. Incidentally, it was this report that encouraged me to add him to my Chicago Bulls Dynasty in NBA Live 06 PC. I definitely hoped that he’d return in real life as well.

Sadly, for all of Kemp’s determination heading into the 2006 season, it wasn’t to be. The Mavericks considered signing him in time for the Playoffs, but he missed a scheduled workout in Houston. The league then also refused to grant Dallas an injury exception, ending that opportunity. Come June, he attended the Nuggets’ camp for free agents, in much better shape and showing flashes of the star he’d once been. Denver ultimately went with another former Sonic – Reggie Evans – and reported interest from the Bulls in September also went nowhere. While I enjoyed having him in my NBA Live 06 Dynasty, it’s a shame we didn’t get an official Reignman return.

4. Tracy McGrady: Los Angeles Lakers, Possibly (2014)

Although the practice of dumping on NBA history affects borderline All-Stars and talented role players more than the big names of yesteryear, I do believe that players like Tracy McGrady are becoming underrated. Of course, in T-Mac’s case, it doesn’t help that injuries and microfracture surgery rapidly accelerated his decline, causing his career to fizzle out in his early 30s. Even then, it was becoming easy to forget that at one point, there was a legitimate debate as to who was better: McGrady, or Kobe Bryant. Now, Kobe’s achievements ultimately settled that debate, but T-Mac’s later seasons unfairly overshadow the earlier brilliance that invited those comparisons.

After playing a season in China and then almost winning a ring with the Spurs after signing on for the 2013 Playoffs, McGrady retired on August 26th. One failed attempt at a baseball career later, T-Mac turned his attention back to hoops, working out with Kobe – then coming off his Achilles injury – during the 2014 offseason. Nothing came of it, as the unnamed teams that were contacted about a possible return reportedly had little interest. Still, it would’ve been cool if those workouts had led to Kobe and T-Mac ending up as teammates in the twilight of their careers. It probably wouldn’t have led to much success in real life, but it could’ve given us a fun Video Game Team!

5. Ray Allen: Warriors or Cavaliers, Among Others (2016)

If you peruse the Free Agents Pool in NBA Live 15 and 16, or NBA 2K15 through 2K17, you’ll notice that Ray Allen is available to sign. While the former three-point king played his final game in the 2014 NBA Finals, he didn’t officially retire until November 2016, as the 2017 campaign was getting underway. In fact, Allen was still interested in continuing his NBA career, and although he went unsigned in 2015 and 2016, following the epic clash between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, he expressed interest in joining one of them in order to compete for another championship. It didn’t happen, and so he called it a day.

Now, gamers probably didn’t need any more incentive to play with the Cavaliers or Warriors circa 2016. They were atop the league with strong rosters led by plenty of star power in LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, and Klay Thompson. Adding Ray Allen to either team would’ve been overkill, but nevertheless entertaining. Whether forming the Splash Triplets on the Warriors, or reuniting LeBron with a former teammate who came up big when they took on the Spurs in 2013, I don’t doubt that Allen would’ve been a very welcome addition to a couple of squads that were already among the top choices on the virtual hardwood.

Do you remember these comebacks that almost happened? Would you have liked to have seen them come to fruition, and play with them in video games? Have your say in the comments, and as always, feel free to take the discussion to the NLSC Forum! That’s all for this week, so thanks for checking in, have a great weekend, and please join me again next Friday for another Five.