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 a list of five random and interesting NBA player stories that I’ve encountered.

Writing articles for the NLSC for all these years has been a rewarding experience. Obviously, it’s creatively satisfying for someone who has always enjoyed writing and is passionate about basketball and basketball video games, but to that point, it’s also catered to my enthusiasm for history and trivia. Covering NBA history and roster trivia through the lens of basketball video games not only conveniently avoids the need to use copyrighted images, but has also led me to discover some fascinating facts and stories about the hardwood, real and virtual.

To that end, I’ve recounted these tales in previous articles, but I wanted to revisit some of the most interesting NBA player stories that I’ve encountered while producing content for the NLSC. We all know the stories and many basic facts and figures about the all-time greats, but we so often overlook the interesting journeys of lesser-known names; stories such as the promising player who never quite made it to the NBA, the player whose journey to the NBA could inspire MyCAREER stories, players whose careers are What Ifs, and some interesting records. You may have heard these five NBA player stories before – from me or someone else – but they’re worth telling again.

1. B.J. Tyler & An Ice Pack

When I was creating my 1996 season roster for NBA Live 2001 over twenty years ago, I didn’t have all of the resources that roster modders do now. I had to track down stats and roster listings from almanacs, basketball cards, and yes, old video games. As useful as those resources were and as much as I have fond memories of working on those old mods, they weren’t always reliable. Sure, there are some gaps in Basketball Reference’s resources and ways they could improve, but generally speaking, you can find the accurate information that you’re looking for. For example, I’d know that it wouldn’t actually be necessary to create B.J. Tyler in most 1996 season roster mods.

A 6’1″ point guard who was drafted twelfth overall in 1994, Tyler spent his rookie season backing up Dana Barros on the Philadelphia 76ers. He put up modest stats in just under 15 minutes per game, but he was a quick player with solid playmaking skills, so the Toronto Raptors snagged him in the expansion draft. Unfortunately, Tyler fell asleep with an ice pack on his ankle, and suffered nerve damage so severe that it affected his speed and explosiveness, forcing him to retire (though he was on the Raptors’ payroll until 2000). None of the magazines I read back in the day talked about it – as far as I know – so it was a fascinating story to discover many years later.

2. Andre Ingram’s Long Road to the NBA

It’s difficult to go past a good underdog story, and Andre Ingram’s road to the NBA certainly qualifies. When he went undrafted by an NBA team, Ingram headed to the D-League, where the Utah Flash (now the Delaware Blue Coats) selected him in the seventh round. He played for them until 2011 when they suspended operations, and then joined Los Angeles’ D-League team – then named the D-Fenders – in 2012. Apart from a very brief stint with the Perth Wildcats here in Australia, Ingram spent most of his professional basketball career in the D-League/G League. In fact, he ranks third all-time in career points, and won the league’s three-point shootout in 2010 and 2016.

On April 9th 2018, at the age of 32, Ingram was signed by the Los Angeles Lakers. He debuted the following day, immediately grabbing attention not only for being one of the oldest rookies in league history, but by scoring 19 points; the most by a Lakers rookie since Nick Van Exel in 1993. As I’ve pointed out, Ingram’s journey bears a striking resemblance to “The Way Back“, the story of NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER. It’s purely coincidental, as pre-production would’ve started long before Ingram finally made it to the big time. Nevertheless, it’s a fun coincidence on top of a feel-good story, and I’ve enjoyed recounting the tale in a couple of my articles since then.

3. JamesOn Curry’s Record For Shortest NBA Career

Plenty of players have only ever played a single game in the NBA; what Basketball Reference has dubbed their Cups of Coffee list. You’ll find quite a few interesting stories there, but if we’re talking about the NBA player with the shortest career, then that distinction goes to JamesOn Curry. I remember Curry from creating current roster updates for NBA Live, particularly as he was a second round pick of the Chicago Bulls in 2007. He spent the entire year in the D-League, and was cut by the team in July 2008. Curry split time between D-League stints and playing overseas until the Clippers picked him up in 2010, which led to his debut and lone NBA appearance.

At that point, he’d already earned the distinction of appearing in more video games than NBA games, as he could be found in NBA Live 09 and NBA Live 10. It’s a distinction that he’d continue to hold even after his debut, but as mentioned, he’s also technically had the shortest NBA career in history, a record that still stands today. After signing a 10-day contract with the Clippers on January 22nd, he was subbed into a game against the Celtics on January 24th with 3.9 seconds left in the third quarter. It’s the only official time he tallied in the NBA, as he was released two days later. Still, by appearing in that one game, he made it further than many other players.

4. Cory Hightower, Flint Legend

That brings us to Cory Hightower. When I was scouring the rosters of old titles to find players who had more virtual hardwood appearances than real NBA games, he was one of the very first examples that I discovered. Hightower can be found in NBA Live 2002, albeit with his name misspelled as “Corey”. A second round pick by the Spurs in 2000, he was traded to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, but was cut during the pre-season. Following stints in the CBA and with the Harlem Globetrotters, Hightower was picked up by the Charlotte Hornets in 2001. He was with them long enough to be included in NBA Live 2002’s rosters, but was cut during training camp.

In that respect, Hightower’s journey resembles the stories of many a player that came close to making it to the NBA. What makes his tale particularly interesting though is that the Flint, Michigan native was a local legend who was once ranked as one of the best high school players in the nation, holding his own against future NBA players such as Mateen Cleaves, and even Tracy McGrady when he was at Mt. Zion. This led to rumours that he’d been blackballed when he refused to carry Kobe Bryant’s bags, a claim Hightower has since refuted. The truth is far more mundane – the Lakers wanted another point guard, and he wasn’t one – but his career is still interesting to read about.

5. Chris Porter’s Derailed Career

One of my favourite articles to date is my Wayback Wednesday feature on players who started at least 20% of the games they played in their lone NBA season. I really enjoy oddball trivia like that, and it was gratifying to find ten examples that were represented in video games. The first example on that list was Chris Porter, an athletic forward taken 55th overall by the Warriors in 2000. Although he played just 51 games due to a sprained ankle, he started 35 of them, averaging 11.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg in 28.3 mpg. This made Porter the kind under-the-radar, up-and-coming player that hardcore hoop heads know and talk about, as well as a coveted pickup among franchise gamers.

Porter’s NBA career came to an abrupt end following a turbulent 2001 offseason that included arriving late to the Warriors’ summer camp, a trade to the Hornets, an arrest, and drug charges. Charlotte waived him in late October, and he never got another shot at the league. However, Porter did have a lengthy career playing abroad and in various minor leagues in the US, including the D-League. In fact, he ended up winning titles in the D-League, USBL, and CBA, remaining active into his late 30s and finishing his career with a stint in New Zealand in 2016. It may not have been the path that he had envisioned as a highly-regarded prospect, but it was still a long and successful career.

Do you remember any of these former NBA players, and if so, were you aware of their stories? 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 Random & Interesting NBA Player Stories appeared first on NLSC.