NBA Jam is a basketball game developed by Midway and released in North American arcades in April 1993, with Mark Turmell as lead designer and programmer; Acclaim published the home versions. It plays two-on-two with exaggerated dunks and no fouls or free throws. Make three baskets in a row and a player is "on fire", with unlimited turbo and better accuracy, and phrases such as "He's on fire" and "Boomshakalaka!" became part of basketball culture.
Midway paid the NBA a $100 royalty per cabinet and spent $10 million on marketing. Codes unlock hidden characters such as Bill Clinton, the Hornets mascot Hugo and P. Funk, based on George Clinton. In 2008 Turmell confirmed that the game was programmed so the Chicago Bulls would miss last-second shots against the Detroit Pistons in close games.
The 1994 Tournament Edition added three-player teams, a Rookies team and a Tournament mode and was ported to consoles in 1995–1996.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | NBA JamMidway T Unit hardware | Arcade | April 1993 | Midway | 1 |
| NA | NBA JamAcclaim's Arena brand; also Europe | Genesis | Mar 4, 1994 | Arena Entertainment | 1 |
| NA | NBA JamSame date in Europe; Genesis and Game Gear versions released the same day under the Arena Entertainment brand | SNES | Mar 4, 1994 | Acclaim | 1 |
| NA | NBA JamUpdated roster; Europe 1994 | Sega CD | December 1994 | Acclaim | 1 |
| NA | NBA Jam Tournament EditionGenesis and Game Gear versions the same day; also Europe | SNES | Feb 23, 1995 | Acclaim | 1 |
| NA | NBA Jam Tournament EditionNorth American PlayStation launch title | PlayStation | Sep 9, 1995 | Acclaim | 1 |
| NA | NBA Jam Tournament EditionEurope December 1995 | Saturn | Nov 10, 1995 | Acclaim | 1 |
| NA | NBA Jam Tournament EditionAtari Jaguar, by High Voltage Software; also Europe | Other | January 1996 | Atari Corporation | 1 |
| EU | NBA JamDeveloped by Beam Software; North America November 1994 | Game Boy | Nov 24, 1994 | Acclaim | 1 |
| WW | NBA Jam Tournament EditionUpdated version with three-player teams, a Rookies team and a Tournament mode | Arcade | 1994 | Midway | 1 |
| JP | NBA Jam Tournament EditionTournament Edition; NA 1995, EU June 1995; 32X port by Steve Snake | 32X | Sep 1, 1995 | Acclaim | 1 |
Also known as: NBA Jam Tournament Edition WW1NBA Jam T.E. WW1NBA Jam トーナメント エディション JP1
Version differences
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ContentArcadeSNES/Genesis/Game Gear (1994)Sega CD/Game Boy (1994)
The arcade game uses 1992–93 rosters and the first console versions 1993–94 rosters; the later 1994 Sega CD, Game Boy and Game Gear ports have more current rosters.1
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ContentArcadehome versions
Shaquille O'Neal appears only in the arcade version, and Dražen Petrović and Reggie Lewis were removed from the home versions after their deaths. Michael Jordan is absent everywhere because he controls his own likeness rights.1
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ContentTournament Edition (arcade test cabinets)
Early Tournament Edition test cabinets included eight hidden characters, among them Raiden, Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Reptile, which were removed at the NBA's request.1
Reception
NBA Jam was America's top-grossing arcade game of 1993, with machines earning up to $2,400 a week; it grossed over $1 billion worldwide in its first twelve months and about $2 billion in lifetime revenue as of 2012. The home versions sold over 4 million copies within a year and were the second best-selling US home game of 1994, behind Donkey Kong Country; the Genesis and SNES versions reached a combined 6 million by 2019.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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