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Boomshakalaka! A new book chronicles the creation and legacy of NBA Jam

By Rich Kraetsch

INGLEWOOD, CA - 1991: Clyde Drexler #22 and Terry Porter #30 of the Portland Trail Blazers talk on the court during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1988 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CA - 1991: Clyde Drexler #22 and Terry Porter #30 of the Portland Trail Blazers talk on the court during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1988 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Reyan Ali’s new book “NBA Jam” celebrates the creation, development and legacy of one of the best-selling video games of all-time: NBA Jam.

Chances are if you are reading this review you have some type of history with NBA Jam be it the original arcade version in 1993, the home console ports for Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, the much-heralded sequel NBA Jam: Tournament Edition or any of the several direct and indirect sequels that can trace lineage back to NBA Jam.

In 1993, when NBA Jam was released to the world, the top-grossing movie of the year was Jurassic Park. The movie inspired “Dino-Mania” across the world and played a key role in a certain team in Toronto being named the Raptors. Jurassic Park made in the range of $340 million in 1993, an absolute blockbuster by every measure.

NBA Jam tripled that, making $1 billion dollars. And, yes, you read that right: one billion.

In “NBA Jam”, Ali first lets the reader get a sense of the arcade scene before NBA Jam’s release. Still in its arguable hey-day, arcade machines could be found at almost any street corner in the early 90s. NBA Jam grew from the minds of Chicago-based Midway Entertainment, a juggernaut in the arcade industry in a town that became synonymous with coin-op machines. However, it was the lack of success for a particular game — Total Carnage — that allowed that game’s programmers and producers to work on a new, passionate project of theirs: NBA Jam.

“NBA Jam” guides readers through the initial development of NBA Jam and how close it came to never being released. Ali delves into the tricky pitch Midway had to give the NBA for the contractual rights to use real teams and players — a rarity for basketball video games at the time.

Through the over 250 pages of “NBA Jam”, we meet many characters: Tim Kitzrow (NBA Jam’s famous announcer), Willie Morris Jr. (the playground basketball player summoned to Midway’s Chicago studio for motion capturing), developers Mark Turmell, Shawn Liptak and more as well as NBA players like Glen Rice, Shaquille O’Neal and Gary Payton.

Interesting stories throughout the book include the numerous secret characters Turmell and his team sprinkled into the game, why Michael Jordan was missing from the game, how teams and rosters were selected, the process of properly rating players and much more.

Of course, the story of NBA Jam doesn’t end in storybook fashion as after a highly-successful sequel (NBA Jam: Tournament Edition), Midway and home console publisher Acclaim wage a war for the future rights to NBA Jam. Ultimately, Acclaim wins the battle resulting in a series of highly-disappointed NBA Jam titles. Midway continues developing NBA Jam-esque games but in the end, a series of baffling financial decisions sink the former gem of the arcade industry.

Ali’s book is an ideal read for hardcore video game and basketball fans as well as casual readers. Someone who knows very little about NBA Jam will come away with a wealth of knowledge and understanding while your long-time Jam fanatics (myself included) will learn even more about the game they love.

While technical at times, Ali always frames the book back to easy, simple-to-understand stories about the people that helped make the NBA Jam phenomenon possible.

Next. Meet the 2019 NBA 25-under-25. dark

“NBA Jam” is available now in both eBook and paperback format at BossFightBooks.com and Amazon.com. Read a sample from “NBA Jam” on Kotaku and be sure to follow Ali on Twitter at @NBAJamBook.

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