 Gaines was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 3rd round (65th overall) of the 1988 NBA Draft.A 6'3" (1.90 m) guard from UCLA and Loyola Marymount University, Gaines played in 5 NBA seasons for 4 different teams.He played for the New Jersey Nets (1988–89), Philadelphia 76ers (1989–90, 1994–95), Denver Nuggets (1990–91) and New York Knicks (1993–94).