Getting traded in the middle of the season is something most players fear in the NBA. Needing to live in another city without prior notice and adjusting to playing with new teammates and coaches are just some of the challenges they’ll face, which makes them prefer to stay put.

With Thursday’s trade deadline fast approaching, a hilarious story was recently shared about former Los Angeles Lakers trainer Gary Vitti. He apparently used to drop jokes on players that they have been moved especially during the deadline day, according to Shahan Ahmed of NBC LA.

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The last day for trading often creates a lot of buzz and teams come up with deals that include players who they were not planning to move initially. That said, it makes the jokes of Vitti even more believable and could cause the players to react immediately to them, usually with a lot of concern.

It only goes to show that Vitti indeed has a good sense of humor in him and that he had good relationships with the players, as he can pull off jokes on them. Not a lot of trainers can claim the same thing, but he made the Lakers’ locker room an even more fun environment with his presence.

He is now retired after 28 years of service and was the team’s longest tenured athletic trainer according to NBA.com. Vitti was credited for conditioning, dieting, stretching and testing some Lakers greats like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, among others.