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.

It’s time to examine five more potential comebacks that aren’t just tantalising What If scenarios in real life, but would’ve been enjoyable on the virtual hardwood! Although some What Ifs are just interesting thought experiments, many of the most fascinating ones are those that were much closer to becoming a reality. Naturally, that includes comeback attempts that weren’t just wishful thinking or idle speculation. Additionally, after watching the NBA for many years – and getting a little older myself – I’ve grown more bothered by players being pushed out of the league seemingly before their time.

Mind you, other times it’s reasonable that teams didn’t have any interest, or it was just a fanciful thought by all parties involved. Between some players making unimpressive comebacks and others sticking around too long, there’s no shame in knowing when to call it a day, or deciding that you’re definitely done despite tempting offers to return. All the same, some of the comebacks that we’ve come close to seeing wouldn’t just grab headlines and draw eyeballs in real life – no matter if they were successful or not – but they’d also be a blast in video games. Whether they created stacked lineups or quirky teams built for gaming, these comebacks would’ve been awesome to play with.

1. Charles Barkley: Washington Wizards (2001)

When people talk about Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley these days, it’s usually in regards to their fractured friendship. If we’re reminiscing about their shared history before that fallout, people will obviously mention them both being part of the famous Draft Class of 1984, facing each other in the 1993 Finals, appearing in Space Jam, and playing together on the Dream Team. However, it’s largely been forgotten that for a time back in 2001, there were whispers that they could team up once again with both making comebacks for the Wizards. While MJ’s decision was perplexing considering the storybook ending of The Last Dance, Chuck’s desire to return made more sense.

After all, while Barkley had made an emotional return in the final game of the 2000 season after suffering a quadriceps tear earlier in the year, his farewell season clearly wasn’t everything he hoped it would be. He was in his late thirties, but only a year removed from playing, so a comeback in 2001 wasn’t entirely out of the question. Chuck struggled to get in shape though, and while he was still open to joining the Wizards in November, the interest wasn’t mutual. Although it was probably for the best, it would’ve been fun to see MJ and Chuck together, and to play with that lineup in video games. It likely would’ve also allowed for more appearances as a Legend.

2. Andrew Bynum: Not Even 30 Yet (2018)

Here’s a fun fact: if Andrew Bynum was to return to the NBA today, he wouldn’t be the oldest player in the league. In fact, not only is he younger than LeBron James, but he’d rank ninth among the oldest active players! It’s easy to forget that despite being an eight year veteran, Bynum was only 26 when he played his final NBA game. Of course, he was the youngest player ever drafted, became the first 17-year-old to play in the NBA with his appearance in a 2005 preseason game, and then subsequently the youngest player in league history when he officially debuted aged 18 years and six days. Unfortunately, despite his youth, his knees had other ideas about his longevity.

Following surgeries and an infamous setback while bowling, Bynum missed the entire 2013 season, and then played only 26 games in 2014 before his career came to an end. The one-time All-Star and two-time Champion with the Lakers wasn’t quite finished though, as he was still looking to make a comeback in 2018 at the age of 30. He hired representation and reportedly scheduled workouts with teams, but nothing ever came of it. It’s not surprising given today’s preference for big men who can shoot from the outside and his previous injury woes, but it’s still unfortunate. Had Bynum been able to return, we might’ve seen the 2009 or 2010 Los Angeles Lakers added to NBA 2K.

3. Chris Bosh: Taking His Talents From South Beach (2018)

Andrew Bynum wasn’t the only two-time champion mulling a comeback in 2018. Chris Bosh was only 31 when blood clots prematurely ended his NBA career come February 2016, though he and the Miami Heat were initially hopeful that he’d be able to return for the 2017 campaign. Bosh failed a physical during training camp though, and in June 2017, the NBA ruled that his condition was a career-ending illness, thus granting the Heat cap relief when they released him. In February 2018 however, Bosh still refused to rule out the possibility of a comeback. He was undoubtedly eager to play and spoke of joining the Knicks, but there were no reports of any serious interest.

It’s unlikely there were any questions about his abilities. Bosh was still under 35, was putting up All-Star numbers before being sidelined with blood clots, and had a game that suited the modern NBA. As he himself admitted though, his condition made him a risk that teams didn’t want to take. It would’ve been great to see him end his career on his own terms though, and a return could’ve made for a fun video game lineup. Bosh did actually play in Goran Dragic’s farewell game in Slovenia in 2024, so if not for his health issues, he might still be active today. Considering his skillset and some of the league’s current elder statesmen, I don’t think it’s impossible that he would be.

4. Wilt Chamberlain: Cleveland Cavaliers (1979) & New Jersey Nets (1986)

With all the talk of whether this player could still play today, or whether that player would be anywhere near as good back in the day, it’s often forgotten how much eras actually overlap. Certain players who were never contemporaries have nevertheless faced many of the same opponents, and under different circumstances, could’ve quite feasibly been active at the same time. This is frequently (and rather conveniently) forgotten in historical debates. Throw in the potential comebacks that didn’t happen, and there are countless fascinating What If scenarios! Two that are definitely worth mentioning are Wilt Chamberlain’s opportunities to come back in 1979 and 1986.

Cleveland reached out to The Stilt with an offer in 1979, after the Bulls and Suns had previously failed to entice him out of retirement. It was close to happening before a careless delivery of the contract to his home while he was out literally blew the deal. There was still interest in Wilt during the 80s with the 76ers reaching out in 1982, and the Nets making him an offer late in the 1986 season. He declined the Nets offer as he believed it to be unserious, and also stated that he respected NBA players too much to think he could immediately compete at the age of 49. Had any of Wilt’s comebacks happened though, those teams would be a blast as classic squads and in retro rosters!

5. Allen Iverson: Los Angeles Lakers (2012)

Time and again, it’s been proven that the NBA constantly moves on in a way that can be unforgiving and indeed fickle. Even a future Hall of Famer can find himself on the outside looking in if he reaches a point where the league is seemingly done with him, irrespective of whether or not he can still play at a high level. It’s a fate that befell Allen Iverson as the 2010s were getting underway. After his return to the Philadelphia 76ers was cut short by a leave of absence to tend to family issues, The Answer was keen to return for the 2011 campaign. That didn’t come to pass, but following a very brief stint in Turkey, Iverson still hadn’t given up hope of having one last NBA run.

Around the time that the Lakers were the latest victim of Linsanity, Stephen A. Smith reported that the team had interest in signing AI. The catch was that they wanted the aging star to spend some time in the D-League first, which he obviously didn’t agree to. It’s easy to call that egotistical – AI did once refuse to come off the bench – but a star has their pride. Besides, as Antoine Walker, Baron Davis, and Ben Gordon have proven, the D-League isn’t always a ticket back to the big time for once-prominent players. I’m not sure that having two ball-dominant players like AI and Kobe Bryant would’ve worked out, but it’s an intriguing What If, and would’ve been fun in games.

Do you remember any of these comebacks that ultimately didn’t happen? Would you have liked to have seen them become a reality, and would it have encouraged you to play with the teams they ended up on? What are some other comebacks that would’ve been fun to see and to play with in basketball 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.

The post The Friday Five: 5 Comebacks That Would’ve Been Fun To Play With (Part 4) appeared first on NLSC.