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 Part 18 in an ongoing series looking at players who only appeared on certain teams in video games.

In Part 17, I covered three big names that only appeared on certain teams in video games: Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and DeMarcus Cousins. The five players that I’m covering today didn’t reach the same heights – not even close in fact – but there are at least two names that I’m confident everyone will recognise, as they had long and fairly successful careers. Indeed, number five on the list was very popular, despite never being an All-Star. If you were into the NBA around 2008, there’s a good chance that you’ll remember the story behind his phantom stint.

There are some interesting stories with the other four players on the list as well. The first player is the most recent example of a player who ended up with a phantom stint. The second player’s phantom stint came about due to an acrimonious departure from the NBA. The third player is frequently in the shadow of his far more famous and successful college teammates. The fourth player is a journeyman who played for eight different teams during his career. Can you guess the five players based on those hints? I’m sure some of you have picked up on a couple of them already, so let’s get to the list! Once again, a huge thanks to David L for his help in finding several examples.

1. Danilo Gallinari (Boston Celtics, NBA 2K23)

As I noted in Part 17, I have to be careful when it comes to recent players. After all, what may be shaping up to be a phantom stint quickly ceases to be one if a player actually does end up playing for a team; say, after missing an entire season due to injury. Bill Curley is an example from many years ago. He had a phantom stint with the Portland Trail Blazers – as seen in NBA Live 96 PC – when he sat out the entire 1996 season and was then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He missed the 1997 campaign as well, but did finally play for them in 1998. If I were writing this article back then, it would’ve been unwise to include the latter stint before it was over.

Why am I mentioning this? Because Danilo Gallinari was in a similar position as the 2023 offseason loomed! After being traded to the Spurs in the 2022 offseason – which is technically another phantom stint, albeit not one officially represented in any video games – Gallo was released, and then signed a multi-year deal with the Boston Celtics. He tore his left ACL in September, meaning the same injury that had sidelined him for the entire 2014 campaign caused him to miss another full season a decade later. With the Celtics trading him to the Washington Wizards along with Marcus Smart in exchange for Kristaps Porzingas, that phantom stint has been solidified (so to speak).

2. Vassilis Spanoulis (San Antonio Spurs, NBA Live 08)

Greek shooting guard Vassilis Spanoulis was once dubbed “Euro Kobe”, which was very high praise to state the obvious! Drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2004, his rights were traded to the Houston Rockets. Ironically, the Rockets had originally owned the pick that was used to select him, but in that weird way that future picks end up changing hands multiple times, they sent it to Denver in 2002, with the Nuggets trading it to the Mavs a year later. Spanoulis played two more years in Europe before opting out of his contract, with the Rockets paying his buyout from Panathinaikos Athens. Basically, it was a long journey to get a top European prospect to Houston.

Unfortunately, he clashed with then-Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy. Looking back, there was likely blame on both sides, though Spanoulis came off looking worse as he seemed too egotistical to adjust and earn minutes. His agent comparing the situation to slavery certainly didn’t make him a sympathetic figure, either! The Rockets traded him to the San Antonio Spurs, who had a great track record of integrating foreign-born players into their rotation. Spanoulis instead opted to return to Greece, though the move made it into NBA Live 08. As such, outside of Europe – and video games – Spanoulis is sadly best remembered for the ugly fallout than his distinguished career.

3. Jimmy King (Dallas Mavericks, NBA Live 97)

While he’s arguably better remembered than Ray Jackson – the only member of the Michigan Wolverines’ Fab Five not to make it to the NBA – Jimmy King is still overshadowed by former teammates Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, and Jalen Rose, who had far more success at the pro level. Nevertheless, King did have a brief NBA career, and saw decent minutes for the expansion Toronto Raptors as a rookie after they took him in the second round of the 1995 Draft. He wouldn’t become a fixture of the young team’s roster though, as the Raptors traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in July 1996 for forward Popeye Jones. The Mavs then released him in late October.

By that point, NBA Live 97 had already been released, featuring King on the Mavs’ roster. In that respect, King’s phantom stint resembles Brad Lohaus’ on-paper-only tenure with the Charlotte Hornets, though Lohaus was involved in a higher profile swap; namely, the Larry Johnson for Anthony Mason deal. King was signed by the Denver Nuggets in April 1997, playing two games for them to bring his NBA career to a close. He did sign with the Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Indiana Pacers in the 1997, 1999, and 2000 offseasons respectively, but didn’t make the final cut each time, and the timing of those signings didn’t result in any video game appearances.

4. Brian Skinner (Toronto Raptors, NBA Live 2002)

Through a combination of being an avid fan and roster maker during the 2000s, Brian Skinner is a player that I recall even though he was never close to being a star. I tend to remember him for his time with the Los Angeles Clippers, to the point where if you mention his name, it’s the team that I’ll associate him with. That makes sense given he began his career with them, spent five years as a Clipper, and played more games for them than he did any other team. At the same time, 448 of his career games weren’t played in a Clippers uniform, he departed the team after his third season, and his final two seasons with the club came about via a return stint some seven years later.

In between his two stints with the Clippers, Skinner played for seven different NBA teams. This included two stints apiece with the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks (he’d also have a brief third stint with the Bucks in 2011). One team that he didn’t ever suit up for however was the Toronto Raptors, though he originally landed there following his first three years with the Clippers. After being tossed into the trade that sent Tyson Chandler to the Chicago Bulls for Elton Brand, Skinner was dealt again to the Raptors for Charles Oakley. That’s where you’ll find him in NBA Live 2002, which was released before his October trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

5. Jason Williams (Los Angeles Clippers, NBA 2K9)

From a player that I associate most closely with the Clippers, to a player who ended up being a Clipper very briefly, and only on paper to boot! The famously flashy Jason Williams split his first ten seasons between the Kings, Grizzlies, and Heat, winning a championship with Miami in 2006. With the Heat looking to re-tool after trading Shaq in 2008, the man dubbed White Chocolate also sought a change of scene. He signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in August, but nagging injuries had him reconsidering his future within a month. Williams announced his retirement on September 26th, and the Clippers waived him four days later, seemingly bringing an end to his career.

Although J-Will ultimately returned to the NBA a year later, in the interim his career continued on the virtual hardwood, where his Clippers stint was made tangible. You’ll find him on their roster in the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 version of NBA 2K9, backing up Baron Davis at the point. As the PC port came out much later though, he’s neither on their roster, nor is he a free agent in that version. The 360/PS3 version of NBA Live 09 does include him among the Free Agents in the default roster, accounting for his release without removing him from the game. Even though Williams did return for stints with the Magic and Grizzlies, NBA 2K9 preserves an intriguing “What If”.

Do you remember any of these phantom stints and the stories behind them? I’ve obviously covered many players who only appeared on certain teams in video games, but are there any other notable examples that you can recall? Let me know 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.

The post The Friday Five: 5 Players Who Only Appeared on Certain Teams in Games (Part 18) appeared first on NLSC.