NBA Jam

Moby ID: 6609
Arcade Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/15 12:18 AM )
See Also

Description official descriptions

NBA Jam is a two-on-two basketball game You can play any NBA team, and you can play as players like Barkley, Starks, Pippen, and Grant. Each human player controls a single player, so choose your squad wisely to take team-mate skill into account. The game is action-oriented, and players can perform unrealistic slam-dunks. Full performance statistics are automatically recorded. The play clock and 3-point line apply, but other rules are largely overlooked.

Spellings

  • NBAジャム - Japanese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Arcade version)

46 People (24 developers, 22 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 88% (based on 28 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 86 ratings with 0 reviews)

Be the first to review this game!

Trivia

1001 Video Games

NBA Jam appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Athletes

One of the game's major features is the NBA license and the real athletes. The arcade version became such a hit that several NBA athletes requested to be included in the game. Some of those requests were fulfilled and special versions were sent to a few select arcade owners. One of those athletes was Michael Jordan who actually was featured in a pre-release version but taken out because he left the NBA. According to Mark Turmell, Shaquille O'Neal actually bought two arcade cabinets; one for his home and one for his hotel rooms when traveling.

Easter egg rumor

Another famous thing about the original arcade version is the big number of easter eggs, including hidden athletes and a free Battlezone variant (arcade owners really didn't like that one!). The promotional material of the game included photos of cheerleaders, portrayed by Playboy models. So everyone searched for the hidden codes to unlock their models in the game... Kerri Hoskins was even pestered with phone calls at home.

Sega Master System port

A port of the game for the Sega Master System was developed, but never released.

Success

According to the magazine Retro Gamer, the arcade version made over one billion dollar during its first year.

Awards

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
    • February 1994 (Issue 55) - Game of the Month (SNES version)
    • 1995 Buyer's Guide - Best Sports Game (SNES version)
  • GameFan
    • Vol. 3, Iss. 1 - Best SNES Action/Arcade Game of the Year 1994

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

NBA Jam Extreme
Released 1996 on PlayStation, 1996 on SEGA Saturn, 1997 on Windows
NBA Jam Tournament Edition
Released 1995 on DOS, Game Boy, PlayStation...
Sonic Jam
Released 1997 on SEGA Saturn
Sports Jam
Released 2000 on Arcade, Dreamcast
NBA ShootOut
Released 1996 on PlayStation
NBA Showdown
Released 1993 on SNES, 1994 on Genesis
NBA ShootOut '97
Released 1997 on PlayStation
NBA Live 95
Released 1994 on SNES, 1994 on Genesis, 1995 on DOS
NBA Action '94
Released 1994 on Genesis

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 6609
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Mullet of Death.

SEGA CD added by Kartanym. Game Gear, Game Boy added by Freeman. Arcade added by Pseudo_Intellectual.

Additional contributors: Alaka, j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】, Big John WV, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, Riemann80, FatherJack.

Game added June 7, 2002. Last modified January 28, 2024.