Tim Kitzrow believes that a copied article, found in the cafeteria at the headquarters of Midway Games Inc. about a year after NBA Jam was released, it was a prank.
It says the basketball arcade game, one of Midway’s products, brought in $1 billion (with a B) in revenue in the first quarter of its year.
“Boomshalakaka!”
Kitzrow, the legendary voice of NBA Jam, is still inclined to believe the article was something of a joke. But about 30 years ago, he – admittedly not a big video game player at the time – ventured to some arcades to see what the fuss was about.
He couldn’t believe what he saw.
“My voice is in this arcade, so I’ll see how people respond,” Kitzrow said. “When I saw 10, 15 people around screaming and yelling, it looked like people trying to grab Mick Jagger onto the stage, or something like that.
“So I went, OK, we’ve got Beatlemania here.”
And guess what? The two-on-two game featuring some of the NBA’s biggest stars actually brought in $1 billion in its first year of circulation – all in quarters.
Thirty years later, riding some of Kitzrow’s memories in-game catchphrases (“Boomshalakaka!” “He’s hot!” “He’s on fire!”), NBA Jam became one of the most popular arcade games ever. Released in 1993, the game featured many NBA players who are now Hall of Famers, including Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Reggie Miller, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Mitch Richmond and James Worthy, among others.
NBA Jam also featured Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley in its first version, but they were eventually removed from later versions due to licensing issues. (The O’Neal rights may be withdrawn, while Barkley created a similar game called Barkley Shut Up and Jam!) Two other Hall of Famers, Michael Jordan and Gary Payton, were excluded from the start due to standard licensing deals. Jordan has a exclusive rights negotiated with Nike. there special editions of the game produced which includes Jordan, Payton and again Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.
With the game being a two-on-two setup, playing with natural tandems is a must for many players. Stockton and Malone with the Utah Jazz make a natural combination. Without Jordan, the Chicago Bulls have Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. Ewing and John Starks are a go-to duo for the New York Knicks.
Mixing and matching lineups is a big part of the fun. Each team has four players to choose from.
“You can go with two guards,” Richmond said. “You can get a big man to try to block shots.”
Kitzrow was pursuing acting and comedy when he was hired for a play reading lines inspired by Marv Albert. For $50 an hour, Kitzrow recited lines that would become part of NBA lingo — ones that are still used today. They are engaging, funny and perfect complements to the game’s over-the-top action.
Kitzrow is still amazed that the gig, for which he earned a total of $850, brought one of the most popular sports video games to hit an arcade.
“It’s the most unlikely scenario in the world,” Kitzrow said. “With all the great songs written, one hit wonders and so on, it’s the idea that a video game has that same kind of nostalgia and that sweet spot for people, that it’s come back and changed 30 years ago like anything else. nice one-hit wonder.”
The two-on-two format is unlike other simulation games, such as Electronic Arts’ 1989 game Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs. NBA Jam is not supposed to be realistic. The players are too acrobatic with their shots. The smallest guards listened to everything. Big men hit 3-pointers from deep — especially after Kitzrow said, “He’s on fire!” A player may be “on fire!” if he made three baskets in a row.
The game is a little impractical in some ways, but still fun, and that resonates with the fans, as well as the players themselves.
“I still have NBA Jam at my house, the version from before,” said Richmond, who in his 14 NBA seasons spent time with the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers but played with the Los Angeles Lakers. king of the game. “Me, Wayman Tisdale, Spud Webb and Lionel Simmons (of the Kings). This is a different kind of game because you do air flips and moon jumps differently. It was a fun game when it first came out. “
Drexler played for the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets during his 15-year NBA career. He was with the Blazers when the game was released. Drexler said it proved to be a great marketing tool for the NBA and that the game was “groundbreaking” in its graphics.
Drexler added that NBA Jam quickly became popular among players.
“A lot of guys play it on their days off,” he said. “Men who are considered players.”
Dee Brown played 12 years in the league with the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic. Brown, a member of the Celtics when NBA Jam was released, said it was exciting to be a part of a video game that used real players, something that hasn’t been done in many previous basketball games.
Brown’s NBA Jam teammates are Kevin McHale, Reggie Lewis and Robert Parish. Brown, however, said he had a hard time getting his Boston teammates interested in playing the game with him — even with Lewis and Brian Shaw players around his age.
“We have an old team, and they don’t play video games,” Brown said. “I was, like, the youngest guy in the game. Ed Pinckney and Joe Kleine didn’t want to play video games. … I never played with anyone on the team before because it was new to everyone. Maybe their kids are playing with it. “
Kitzrow recalled when the NBA celebrated its top 75 players in the 2022 All-Star Game in Cleveland, there were several NBA Jam arcade consoles set up. Drexler said the league gave the players who were part of the 75th-anniversary team an arcade version of the game. Richmond said he doesn’t play the game much these days, but he recently went into his game room to turn it on, just to make sure it still works.
Drexler said that he is still challenged to play by his family.
“My youngest son, Adam, tries to get me to play every now and then,” he said. “He’s been trying to catch up for a long time. He will be 30 next month.”
Kitzrow was amazed at the game’s popularity in the early 1990s. He’s the voice of many games, including NFL Blitz, but NBA Jam is still going strong in a way he never expected.
For him, NBA Jam is not just a game; it’s a community of fans.
“I had no idea there was a real culture, a real tribe, a real fan base of people. I thought it was just a temporary thing,” Kitzrow said. “I thought these games would be in the bars and out of the bars in two years and a new game would take over.”
There is already several versions of NBA Jam released, but the original arcade version still connects with fans. Kitzrow travels the country participating in retro video game conventions where his voice brings back fond memories for those who grew up playing the game.
“There are many stories about someone who has lost a loved one, a brother, a father, a son. They come and say every time I hear your voice, it resonates, the joy and the love,” Kitzrow said. “And then they start to cry and say, ‘You were part of the happiest time of my life, of my childhood.'”
Players are still passing on the game’s legacy, too. Kitzrow said he met former NBA guard Steve Smith in Chicago, and he was surprised to hear Smith’s reaction.
Smith, a 14-year NBA veteran who played for six teams, told Kitzrow that he still plays on the original arcade console. Kitzrow couldn’t believe that Smith, who was with the Miami Heat when NBA Jam was released, was so excited to meet him.
“’I can’t wait to tell my children that I met you. You know, I just played with them last night,’” Kitzrow recalled of the conversation with Smith.
Based on all the fans, young and old, who still flock to the arcade version, Kitzrow believes there is a place for NBA Jam in the modern video game world. The NBA 2K franchise reigns supreme when it comes to modern basketball simulation games, but nothing quite like NBA Jam. It doesn’t require an excessive amount of strategy. At its core, it’s a game full of slightly exaggerated fun.
Thirty years later, it gives a lot of nostalgia. Kids and adults alike enjoy it.
“It has an almost cartoonish effect now compared to realistic games,” says Kitzrow, “but it still draws people in.”
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; photo: Sam Forencich/Getty Images)