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NBA Jam is a basketball arcade game created by Midway in 1993. It is the first entry in the NBA Jam series, and was written entirely in assembly language. The main designer and programmer for this game was Mark Turmell. The release of NBA Jam gave rise to a new genre of sports games which were based around action-packed, unrealistic gameplay. The arcade version features team rosters from the 1992-93 NBA season and the console versions use rosters from the 1993-94 NBA season. More up to date ports were released for the Sega CD, Game Boy, and Game Gear later in 1994. Midway did not secure the license to use Michael Jordan's name or likeness, and as such he was not available as a player for the Chicago Bulls or any other team (although Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen was given Jordan-esque attributes, perhaps to make up for this absence). Another notable absence from the home versions is Shaquille O'Neal, despite appearing on the arcade version as a member of the Orlando Magic.

History

Midway, no stranger to releasing landmark games (having earlier released Ms. Pac-Man), had started experimenting with the ideas two years earlier, with the High Impact series. Both High Impact and Super High Impact had somewhat average success in arcades. The gameplay of NBA Jam is based on Arch Rivals, another 2-on-2 basketball game released by Midway in 1989. However, it was the release of NBA Jam that brought mainstream success to the genre. The game became exceptionally popular, and generated a significant amount of money for arcades after its release, largely because of the fairly expensive prices for game play. The typical cost to play a full game of NBA Jam ranged from $1.00 to $2.00. Nonetheless, the game was a smash hit. The original arcade release made $1 billion in quarters.

Trademarks

NBA Jam, which featured 2-on-2 basketball, was one of the first real playable basketball arcade games, and was also one of the first sports games to feature NBA-licensed teams and players, and their real digitized likenesses. A key feature of NBA Jam was the exaggerated nature of the play - players jumped many times above their own height, making slam dunks that defied both human capabilities and the laws of physics. There were no fouls, free throws, or violations except goaltending. This meant the player was able to freely shove his opponent out of the way. Additionally, the game had an "on fire" feature, where if one player made three baskets in a row, he would become "on fire" and have unlimited turbo, no goaltending, and increased shooting ability, until the other team scored. The game is filled with easter eggs, special features and players activated by initials or button/joystick combinations. Early versions of the sequel, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, allowed players to put in codes that allowed people to play as characters from Mortal Kombat, but the NBA, uneasy over the controversies surrounding Mortal Kombat's levels of violence, forced Midway to remove these characters in later updates.

Featured teams and players

Note: Some home console versions of NBA Jam were coded later than others, and as a result of real-life roster changes or (in the cases of Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal) legal reasons, some rosters differ from version to version.

Western Conference

Team	Arcade	SNES/Genesis	Sega CD	Game Boy	Game Gear
Dallas Mavericks	Derek Harper and Mike Iuzzolino	Derek Harper and Jim Jackson	Derek Harper and Jamal Mashburn	Derek Harper and Jamal Mashburn	Derek Harper and Jim Jackson
Denver Nuggets	Dikembe Mutombo and LaPhonso Ellis	Dikembe Mutombo and LaPhonso Ellis	Dikembe Mutombo and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf	Dikembe Mutombo and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf	Dikembe Mutombo and LaPhonso Ellis
Golden State Warriors	Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin	Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin	Chris Webber and Latrell Sprewell	Chris Webber and Latrell Sprewell	Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin
Houston Rockets	Hakeem Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell	Hakeem Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell	Hakeem Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell	Hakeem Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell	Hakeem Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell
Los Angeles Clippers	Danny Manning and Ron Harper	Danny Manning and Ron Harper	Pooh Richardson and Ron Harper	Pooh Richardson and Ron Harper	Danny Manning and Ron Harper
Los Angeles Lakers	Vlade Divac and James Worthy	Vlade Divac and James Worthy	Vlade Divac and Nick Van Exel	Vlade Divac and Nick Van Exel	Vlade Divac and James Worthy
Minnesota Timberwolves	Christian Laettner and Chuck Person	Christian Laettner and Chuck Person	Christian Laettner and Isaiah Rider	Christian Laettner and Isaiah Rider	Christian Laettner and Chuck Person
Phoenix Suns	Charles Barkley1 and Dan Majerle	Dan Majerle and Kevin Johnson¹	Dan Majerle and Kevin Johnson	Dan Majerle and Kevin Johnson	Dan Majerle and Kevin Johnson
Portland Trail Blazers	Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter	Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter	Clyde Drexler and Cliff Robinson	Clyde Drexler and Cliff Robinson	Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter
Sacramento Kings	Wayman Tisdale and Spud Webb	Wayman Tisdale and Mitch Richmond	Wayman Tisdale and Mitch Richmond	Wayman Tisdale and Mitch Richmond	Wayman Tisdale and Mitch Richmond
San Antonio Spurs	David Robinson and Sean Elliott	David Robinson and Sean Elliott	David Robinson and Chuck Person	David Robinson and Dale Ellis	David Robinson and Dale Ellis
Seattle SuperSonics	Shawn Kemp and Benoit Benjamin	Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf	Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf	Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf	Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf
Utah Jazz	Karl Malone and John Stockton	Karl Malone and John Stockton	Karl Malone and John Stockton	Karl Malone and John Stockton	Karl Malone and John Stockton

¹Some earlier cartidges of the SNES and Sega Genesis versions have Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson on the Phoenix Suns; however, later versions replaced Barkley with Dan Majerle because Midway lost the rights to include Barkley when Accolade created Shut Up and Jam.

Eastern Conference

Team	Arcade	SNES/Genesis	Sega CD	Game Boy	Game Gear
Atlanta Hawks	Dominique Wilkins and Stacey Augmon	Dominique Wilkins and Stacey Augmon	Stacey Augmon and Mookie Blaylock	Stacey Augmon and Mookie Blaylock	Dominique Wilkins and Stacey Augmon
Boston Celtics	Reggie Lewis and Kevin McHale	Dee Brown and Robert Parish	Dee Brown and Dominique Wilkins	Dee Brown and Dominique Wilkins	Dee Brown and Robert Parish
Charlotte Hornets	Larry Johnson and Kendall Gill	Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning	Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning	Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning	Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning
Chicago Bulls	Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant	Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant	Scottie Pippen and B.J. Armstrong	Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant	Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant
Cleveland Cavaliers	Mark Price and Brad Daugherty	Mark Price and Brad Daugherty	Mark Price and Brad Daugherty	Mark Price and Brad Daugherty	Mark Price and Brad Daugherty
Detroit Pistons	Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer	Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer	Terry Mills and Joe Dumars	Terry Mills and Joe Dumars	Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer
Indiana Pacers	Reggie Miller and Detlef Schrempf	Reggie Miller and Derrick McKey	Reggie Miller and Derrick McKey	Reggie Miller and Rik Smits	Reggie Miller and Derrick McKey
Milwaukee Bucks	Brad Lohaus and Blue Edwards	Brad Lohaus and Blue Edwards	Vin Baker and Eric Murdock	Vin Baker and Eric Murdock	Brad Lohaus and Blue Edwards
Miami Heat	Rony Seikaly and Glen Rice	Rony Seikaly and Harold Miner	Rony Seikaly and Glen Rice	Rony Seikaly and Glen Rice	Rony Seikaly and Harold Miner
New Jersey Nets	Derrick Coleman and Drazen Petrovic	Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson	Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson	Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson	Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson
New York Knicks	Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley	Patrick Ewing and John Starks	Patrick Ewing and John Starks	Patrick Ewing and John Starks	Patrick Ewing and John Starks
Orlando Magic	Shaquille O'Neal¹ and Scott Skiles	Nick Anderson and Scott Skiles	Nick Anderson and Penny Hardaway	Nick Anderson and Penny Hardaway	Nick Anderson and Scott Skiles
Philadelphia 76ers	Hersey Hawkins and Jeff Hornacek	Clarence Weatherspoon and Jeff Hornacek	Clarence Weatherspoon and Jeff Malone	Clarence Weatherspoon and Jeff Hornacek	Clarence Weatherspoon and Jeff Hornacek
Washington Bullets	Tom Gugliotta and Harvey Grant	Tom Gugliotta and Harvey Grant	Tom Gugliotta and Calbert Cheaney	Tom Gugliotta and Calbert Cheaney	Tom Gugliotta and Harvey Grant

¹Shaquille O'Neal appears only in the arcade version because his likeness was no longer licensed by the NBA by the time the home console versions were created, and the cost was too high to include him in the game (much like Michael Jordan).

Sequels/spin-offs

A sequel, NBA Jam Tournament Edition (commonly referred to as NBA Jam T.E.), featured updated rosters and more new features and easter eggs combined with the same gameplay of the original. The NBA Jam games were also ported to many video game consoles and the PC, beginning with the original's debut on the highly-publicized Jam Day (March 4, 1994). Console versions were well known for featuring tons of easter eggs; the home versions of Jam T.E. even allowed the player to use then-President Bill Clinton, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, or then-Vice President Al Gore (not to mention Atari's Vice President of Software Development Leonard Tramiel on the Atari Jaguar version). Acclaim published the console versions, and later ended up winning the exclusive rights to use the NBA Jam name. Acclaim used the name on NBA Jam Extreme in 1996, a 3D version of Jam which featured Marv Albert doing commentary. Some of the most famous and repeated sayings of that year came from Albert saying, "Razzle Dazzle", "BOOM-SHAKALAKA", "Kaboom", "From Downtown", "Jams it!", and "He's on Fire!". The game was a flop, in comparison to Midway's version released that same year, rechristened NBA Hangtime, a game which featured a create-a-player and a usual batch of new features combined with a classic, but improved, NBA Jam feeling. However, by the time NBA Maximum Hangtime (a further update) was released, Midway began to lose steam with the game, and the game was considered to be a commercial disappointment. The basketball idea was temporarily shelved.

In 1995, a collegiate version of NBA Jam was introduced, entitled College Slam. Although the game was created to capitalize on the popularity of March Madness and the subsequent Final Four, it did not enjoy the popularity of the earlier NBA Jam games.

However, the idea was not quite dead as Midway passed it to their other sports games. The 1995 hockey release 2 On 2 Open Ice Challenge was only mildly successful at best, but Midway found success with Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey in 1996 and NFL Blitz in 1997. The NFL Blitz series remains active today as Blitz: The League despite the absence of an official NFL license. The success of the game brought forth another high-flying basketball game, and genuine 3D rendered (but 2D playing) sequel to NBA Jam and NBA Hangtime, NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC (which used the familiar NBA on NBC theme, Roundball Rock) in 1999, a game which was received well and had acceptable success. After it was ported, Midway decided to focus itself on other games, and after the following year's NBA Hoopz (a slower-paced, 3-on-3 copy of NBA Showtime), Midway's series ended. Acclaim continued to keep the NBA Jam name alive with its console games, although the games are only mildly popular.

Now making console games exclusively, Midway has used Jam's idea on several other sports, with NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz, MLB Slugfest, and RedCard 20-03 (a hard-hitting soccer game). Many of Jam's influences remain in their games. The latest efforts of Midway arcade basketball include NBA Ballers.

Popular culture

In certain subcultures, the phrases "He's heating up" and "He's on fire" and "Boomshakalaka!" have entered into common usage. The phrases, as in the game, are used to (self) describe someone doing something successfully twice or thrice respectively, as the original expression was used for any player who scored more than three buckets in a row. He would be "on fire", as he then started tossing/dunking a flaming ball to the basket, burning its net in the process. The effect only wore off if the opposite team scored or after that player scored four more times. The announcer was modeled on Marv Albert although there is no mention of him in the game. Other phrases from the game include: "The Monster Jam!", “Jams it in!”, "A spectacular dunk!", "Wild Shot!", "From Downtown", "For Three!", "From long range", and “Grabs the rebound!” Lastly, NBA Jam incorporated a slogan from Spike Lee's alter-ego in his 1986 film She's Gotta Have It, Mars Blackmon, who was also featured in a Nike basketball shoe television commercial at the time. The NBA Jam commentator asked, "Is it the shoes?" after a player performed spectacularly. The commentator would also, very rarely, say "whoomp, there it is!" The commentator is voiced by Tim Kitzrow.

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