The 90s were a fantastic time to be an NBA fan, defense was rougher, Space Jam was popular, no Michael Jordan Vs. Lebron James debate, and then there was NBA Jam. Back when 2K’s microtransactions and ads were not a thing, basketball found a video game home at the arcade thanks to Midway’s NBA Jam.
Though the popular title still lives on to this day in one way or another, especially with Arcade1Up recently releasing an NBA Jam cabinet, the game’s legacy and cultural significance haven’t really been replicated since arcades pretty much vanished from society. Unlike most sports games today, 1993’s NBA Jam didn’t approach basketball realistically, instead choosing to display over the top physics, 2v2 matches, and literal flaming dunks and three-pointers.
As it turns out NBA Jam’s legacy is now getting some extra recognition, as Variety reports that the arcade basketball title will be the subject of a new documentary from BestCrosses Studios. set to be directed by Sean Menard, who directed the Vince Carter feature The Carter Effect, the film will rely on Reyan Ali’s book NBA Jam as source material for the franchise’s history and many anecdotes.
As the director puts it, the NBA Jam documentary will do more than just explore the game itself, instead also providing an interesting take at how arcades slowly started to disappear as years went on and people transitioned to playing games from home. The now defunct Midway Games notably suffered this shift in the industry as most of its popular properties never found its place inside the living room, with the exception of Mortal Kombat, which was acquired by Warner Bros. after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2009.
NBA Jam’s rise to stardom was possible even without Michael Jordan, as His Airness wouldn’t let Midway use his name or likeness in any way; in fact Midway even had a tough time convincing the NBA to sign to any licensing agreement at all, due to the league’s negative perception of arcades. Despite Jordan’s absence, having the rest of the NBA’s teams and stars was enough to turn NBA Jam into one of the most successful and profitable arcade games of the decade, eventually getting ports for the S-NES and Sega Genesis which sold incredibly well too.
Eventually, NBA Jam became such a hit that even the league’s real basketball stars started playing it, with Jordan himself rumored to have a modded version with him included. And that’s all without mentioning Tim Kitzrow’s iconic commentary lines, most of which found their way into sports lingo nowadays. Boomshakalaka, indeed.
Source: Variety
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