TITLE
DJ Jazzy Jeff and George Clinton recall becoming NBA Jam hidden characters
AUTHOR
Reyan Ali
PUBLICATION
Polygon
YEAR
2019
ARTICLE TYPE
Book Excerpt
FROM THE ARTICLE
On its surface, NBA Jam was a small game. You moved back and forth on a tight playfield, always playing the same kind of game on the same court for the same crowd. There was nothing to customize, no supplemental modes or bonus features of any sort. Four players. One ball. That’s it.But as soon as gamers started digging, NBA Jam, NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, and the two games’ many console adaptations revealed much, much more. Over the 1990s, NBA Jam’s lore grew to be filled with strange codes and peculiar stories, imbuing it with the same mystique the Mortal Kombat games had. No matter how far-fetched a rumor about NBA Jam was, it felt like there was a chance it was true. This aura went a long way in keeping the game on players’ minds as new games arose to compete for Jam’s attention. In the case of the game’s most famous hidden element — its secret characters — the whole thing started as a joke.
COMPANIES MENTIONED
Midway
GAMES MENTIONED
NBA Jam (1993)
PEOPLE MENTIONED
George Clinton
DJ Jazzy Jeff
EXCERPTED FROM
Boss Fight Books – NBA Jam
SEE ALSO
The Night They Turned On The First NBA Jam Machine – Kotaku (2017)