NBA Jam Tournament Edition - All Team Rosters and Players

NBA Jam Tournament Edition was, well, my jam. Just like the first game, my mom was cool enough to buy me the Genesis port during a mini-vacation. I poured so much time into the game, only ever going back to the original NBA Jam whenever I wanted a break or felt like playing as Charles Barkley. I eventually beat the game, knocking down all 27 teams on my way to be the grand champion. Granted, I needed a little help with the Always Fire cheat but there were some tooth and nail matchups where you need all the help you could get. 

I think it's safe to say that, similar to Midway's Mortal Kombat II, this second entry was the pinnacle for the NBA Jam series. What followed afterwards lead to public confusion and a severe downturn and distrust to the franchise's name.

The big things that this sequel/update brought to the table were three players to each team (at least with the home ports), more player attributes, halftime substitutions, more secret power-ups and cheats, a huge surprise for those who conquer all teams, and of course "Tournament Mode", where inputing a simple code allowed gamers to compete against each other on an even level. This meant no cheats of any kind and no computer assistance.

As for the huge surprise: If you beat all of the 27 NBA teams in the game, whenever you logged in your user profile, you would be granted access to expanded team rosters. However, with the arcade version, it was very limited. You wouldn't always get one or two more for each team. Some teams like the 76ers and Mavericks were positively screwed until the home ports came along. You would also unlock the "???" team which consisted of NBA All-Stars and secret characters.

NBA Jam Tournament Edition hit the arcades in January 1994, two months before the release of the first game to home consoles. It received several revisions that we will get into in a bit. In February 1995, the Genesis, SNES, and Game Gear once again received the first set of ports. The Game Boy would get its port in June of that year. Instead of the Sega CD, Sega's failed console add-on the 32X would receive a port some time later in 1995. Towards the end of the year, the newest consoles on the block, the Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn, would receive substantial home ports in time for the holiday season. The Playstation version is particularly special because it was released on the system's North America launch date of September 9, 1995. The final edition of NBA Jam TE would be released for the Atari Jaguar in 1996.

The arcade version featured rosters from the 1993-94 season. The first and second wave of ports had the rosters updated to match the 1994-95 season, with the second wave featuring some of the most notable trades that happened in the later half. With its late development and game release, the Jaguar port was lucky enough to obtain rosters from the 1995-96 season.

The arcade game had several revisions and updates, with the two most infamous being version 1.0 and 2.0. Ever the mischievous sneaks, the Midway team planted Mortal Kombat characters Raiden, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Reptile as secret players. They also added the ability to do a "fatality", which largely consisted of pushing an opponent player and causing them to be briefly set ablaze. When the NBA caught wind of this, they were furious and forced Midway to immediately remove them from arcades. I vividly remembered when these secret characters were announced in magazines and I wasted several quarters trying to play as them, not fully understanding the idea of a "game patch".

The last arcade edition, version 4.0, brought back Charles Barkley to the series, albeit temporarily. However, the biggest change ending up severely backfiring for the game. Sean Elliott, then a player for the Detroit Pistons, was set to be traded to the Houston Rockets for Robert Horry and some extra perks. When Elliott failed his physical, more than likely due to his later noted kidney issues, the trade was immediately voided. Unfortunately, Midway implemented the trade into version 4.0. To have even more egg on their face, though their names and stats appear on their "new" teams, the character portraits of Elliott and Horry weren't swapped as well and they both retained their previous team colors on their player models. This is made even more worse nowadays as version 4.0 was used for the NBA Jam Arcade Cabinet by Arcade1Up.

One of the biggest incentives for the home ports of the game was the Rookies team, which took over the "???" slot on the team select screen. This team consisted of 17 college players who were part of the 1994 NBA draft. The most notable rookies include Jason Kidd, Jalen Rose and Grant Hill. When you beat the game and login, the Rookies team is converted into the NBA All-Stars team and the majority of the rookies are assigned to the team they were drafted to. One of my favorite memories of NBA Jam TE is when I was really mad that I couldn't play as Kidd and Hill anymore because I beat the game. Once I realized that I actually unlocked the expanded rosters, and that Kidd and Hill were with the Mavericks and Pistons respectively, I was able to relax.

One name sprung out when I was going over the Rookies team again: Eric Montross. Holy shit, what a blast from the past. I remember a lot of people talking up a storm about him coming to the league. The supposed new "Great White Hope" for the NBA and the Boston Celtics. Yeah, that didn't happen.

And now for another aside: As I was doing research for this game, I started to craft a small little tale I call "The Ballad of Bobby Hurley". For those who don't know or remember, Hurley was the middle child of the Big Three of Duke University in the early 90's. Dubbed "Bart Simpson" by his former teammate Christian Laettner, he was supposed to be one of the next big things for the NBA coming into the 1993-94 season. This is shown here in this game, as he is given the second player slot for the Sacramento Kings over the more popular Mitch Richmond in the original arcade version. Unfortunately, he would get into a severe car accident in December 1993 that nearly took his life. He returned to the court but he just couldn't hang with the big boys. By the time the home ports of TE came, this new "superstar" was regulated to being a locked character. He would later be the third player for the Kings by the time the Jaguar version came out but that was largely due to Spud Webb and Wayman Tisdale being traded. He wouldn't be brought back for the next game. Makes you really thing about the fickleness of life and pro basketball.

Now that I got that off my chest, we now need to talk about Kevin. Kevin Edwards that is. The New Jersey Nets player suffered one of the biggest blunders of the home console ports. While the first wave of ports (Genesis/SNES/Game Gear) have his correct character portrait, all of the other ports instead gave him a portrait of Blue Edwards. This is most likely due to the programmers using Blue Edwards as a placeholder before they could do the swap only for them to ship the game out with the gaffe intact.

The biggest inclusion of the Playstation and Saturn ports, other than enhanced graphics and better gameplay and presentation, is the appearance of the 1994-95 championship team Houston Rockets and the ability to play as the reunited Phi Slama Jama. You also get the Rockets' new logo that would plague the team for quite some time.

Now onto the teams. To reiterate myself, I have listed all of the NBA teams that are in the game by their team name, rather than by their city or by what conference they are in. I then list the players in the order that they are sorted in the game. A couple of the teams, for example the SuperSonics, have the same players across ports but for some reason the programmers changed the order slightly in one or the other. Again, this will get worse moving forward.

If you see an asterisk (*) next to a name, that means you have to unlock the player by beating all 27 NBA teams.

For those wondering where are the rosters for the Game Boy, Game Gear, 32X, and PC ports: I'm still in the process of researching them so I can be 100% accurate with them. I will update the teams when I do. From what I gathered so far: the PC version matches up significantly with the PSX/Saturn ports; the 32X appears to be an early version of the PSX/Saturn ports, most evident by Clyde Drexler being on the Rockets (though the old logo is still present); the Game Gear matches up closely with the Genesis/SNES ports though with less players on the Rookies team; and the Game Boy is somewhere stuck in the middle, having Drexler on the Rockets but still has Wilkins with the Cavs.

Special thanks and credit to the Retro Sports Gamer on YouTube for providing the info on the Jaguar version of the game.

76ers

Arcade

Clarence Weatherspoon

Shawn Bradley

Genesis/SNES

Shawn Bradley

Clarence Weatherspoon

Jeff Malone

Dana Barros*

Sharone Wright*

PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Shawn Bradley

Clarence Weatherspoon

Dana Barros

Jeff Malone*

Sharone Wright*

Bucks

Arcade

Vin Baker

Blue Edwards

Todd Day

Brad Lohaus*

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Vin Baker

Todd Day

Eric Murdock

Eric Mobley*

Glenn Robinson*

Bullets

Arcade

Tom Gugliotta

Pervis Ellison

Calbert Cheaney

Genesis/SNES

Chris Webber

Calbert Cheaney

Scott Skiles

Rex Chapman*

PSX/Saturn

Chris Webber

Calbert Cheaney

Juwan Howard

Scott Skiles*

Rex Chapman*

Jaguar

Chris Webber

Calbert Cheaney

Juwan Howard

Scott Skiles*

Bulls

Arcade

Scottie Pippen

B.J. Armstrong

Toni Kukoc

Horace Grant*

Genesis/SNES

Scottie Pippen

B.J. Armstrong

Toni Kukoc

Luc Longley*

PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Scottie Pippen

Ron Harper

Toni Kukoc

Luc Longley*

Cavaliers

Arcade

Mark Price

Brad Daugherty

Larry Nance

Genesis/SNES

Mark Price

Brad Daugherty

Gerald Wilkins

Hot Rod Williams*

PSX/Saturn

Mark Price

Brad Daugherty

Hot Rod Williams

Jaguar

Mark Price

Hot Rod Williams

Brad Daugherty

Harold Miner*

Celtics

Arcade

Xavier McDaniel

Dee Brown

Kevin Gamble

Genesis/SNES

Dominique Wilkins

Dee Brown

Dino Radja

Xavier McDaniel*

Eric Montross*

PSX/Saturn

Dominique Wilkins

Dee Brown

Dino Radja

Eric Montross*

Xavier McDaniel*

Jaguar

Dee Brown

Dino Radja

Xavier McDaniel

Eric Montross*

Clippers

Arcade

Dominique Wilkins

Ron Harper

Stanley Roberts

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn

Pooh Richardson

Stanley Roberts

Malik Sealy

Loy Vaught*

Jaguar

Pooh Richardson

Malik Sealy

Stanley Roberts

Loy Vaught*

Hawks

Arcade

Danny Manning

Stacey Augmon

Kevin Willis

Genesis/SNES

Mookie Blaylock

Kevin Willis

Stacey Augmon

PSX/Saturn

Mookie Blaylock

Steve Smith

Stacey Augmon

Jaguar

Mookie Blaylock

Steve Smith

Stacey Augmon

Spud Webb*

Heat

Arcade

Glen Rice

Rony Seikaly

Harold Miner

Genesis/SNES

Glen Rice

Harold Miner

Steve Smith

Billy Owens*

Khalid Reeves*

PSX/Saturn

Glen Rice

Harold Miner

Kevin Willis

Billy Owens*

Khalid Reeves*

Jaguar

Glen Rice

Kevin Willis

Billy Owens

Khalid Reeves*

Rex Chapman*

Hornets

Arcade

Larry Johnson

Hersey Hawkins

Alonzo Mourning

Genesis/SNES

Alonzo Mourning

Larry Johnson

Muggsy Bogues

Dell Curry*

Hersey Hawkins*

PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Alonzo Mourning

Larry Johnson

Muggsy Bogues

Dell Curry*

Kendall Gill*

Jazz

Arcade

Karl Malone

John Stockton

David Benoit

Jeff Hornacek*

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Karl Malone

John Stockton

Jeff Hornacek

David Benoit*

Kings

Arcade

Lionel Simmons

Bobby Hurley

Mitch Richmond

Spud Webb*

Wayman Tisdale*

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn

Mitch Richmond

Spud Webb

Lionel Simmons

Bobby Hurley*

Jaguar

Mitch Richmond

Lionel Simmons

Bobby Hurley

Knicks

Arcade

Patrick Ewing

Anthony Mason

John Starks

Charles Oakley*

Derek Harper*

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Patrick Ewing

Charles Oakley

John Starks

Derek Harper*

Anthony Mason*

Lakers

Arcade

Anthony Peeler

Vlade Divac

Elden Campbell

James Worthy*

Genesis/SNES

Vlade Divac

Anthony Peeler

Nick Van Exel

James Worthy*

Eddie Jones*

PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Vlade Divac

Anthony Peeler

Nick Van Exel

Eddie Jones*

Magic

Arcade

Penny Hardaway

Nick Anderson

Scott Skiles

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn

Penny Hardaway

Horace Grant

Nick Anderson

Dennis Scott*

Jaguar

Penny Hardaway

Horace Grant

Nick Anderson

Dennis Scott*

Brooks Thompson*

Mavericks

Arcade

Jim Jackson

Jamal Mashburn

Genesis/SNES

Jamal Mashburn

Jim Jackson

Terry Davis

Jason Kidd*
Tony Dumas*

PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Jamal Mashburn

Jim Jackson

Terry Davis

Jason Kidd*

Tony Dumas*

Nets

Arcade

Derrick Coleman

Kenny Anderson

Chris Morris

Benoit Benjamin*

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Derrick Coleman

Kenny Anderson

Kevin Edwards

Armen Gilliam*

Yinka Dare*

Nuggets

Arcade

Dikembe Mutombo

LaPhonso Ellis

Rodney Rogers

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Dikembe Mutombo

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

LaPhonso Ellis

Robert Pack*

Jalen Rose*

Pacers

Arcade

Reggie Miller

Malik Sealy

Rik Smits

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Reggie Miller

Rik Smits

Derrick McKey

Antonio Davis*

Pistons

Arcade

Isiah Thomas

Joe Dumars

Sean Elliott

Lindsey Hunter*

Arcade (Version 4.0)

Isiah Thomas

Joe Dumars

Robert Horry

Lindsey Hunter*

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Joe Dumars

Terry Mills

Oliver Miller

Grant Hill*

Bill Curley*

Rockets

Arcade

Hakeem Olajuwon

Vernon Maxwell

Robert Horry

Kenny Smith*

Arcade (Version 4.0)

Hakeem Olajuwon

Vernon Maxwell

Sean Elliott

Kenny Smith*

Genesis/SNES

Hakeem Olajuwon

Otis Thorpe

Robert Horry

Vernon Maxwell*

Sam Cassell*

PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Hakeem Olajuwon

Clyde Drexler

Robert Horry

Sam Cassell*

Rookies

Genesis/SNES

Eric Montross

Jason Kidd

Tony Dumas

Jalen Rose

Grant Hill

Bill Curley

Glenn Robinson

Eddie Jones

Khalid Reeves

Eric Mobley

Donyell Marshall

Yinka Dare

Monty Williams

Brooks Thompson

Sharone Wright

Wesley Person

Aaron McKie

Spurs

Arcade

David Robinson

Dennis Rodman

Dale Ellis

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

David Robinson

Dennis Rodman

Sean Elliott

Chuck Person*

Terry Cummings*

Suns

Arcade

Dan Majerle

Kevin Johnson

Arcade (Version 4.0)

Charles Barkley

Dan Majerle

Kevin Johnson

Genesis/SNES/PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Danny Manning

Kevin Johnson

Dan Majerle

Wayman Tisdale*

A.C. Green*

SuperSonics

Arcade

Shawn Kemp

Gary Payton

Kendall Gill

Genesis/SNES

Shawn Kemp

Gary Payton

Detlef Schrempf

Kendall Gill*

PSX/Saturn

Shawn Kemp

Gary Payton

Detlef Schrempf

Hersey Hawkins*

Jaguar

Shawn Kemp

Detlef Schrempf

Gary Payton

Hersey Hawkins*

Timberwolves

Arcade

Christian Laettner

Chuck Person

Isaiah Rider

Genesis/SNES

Isaiah Rider

Christian Laettner

Doug West

Donyell Marshall*

Sean Rooks*

PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Isaiah Rider

Christian Laettner

Tom Gugliotta

Doug West*

Sean Rooks*

Trail Blazers

Arcade

Clyde Drexler

Terry Porter

Cliff Robinson

Harvey Grant*

Genesis/SNES

Clyde Drexler

Cliff Robinson

Terry Porter

Rod Strickland*

Aaron McKie*

PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Otis Thorpe

Cliff Robinson

Rod Strickland

Terry Porter*

Aaron McKie*

Warriors

Arcade

Tim Hardaway

Chris Mullin

Chris Webber

Genesis/SNES

Tom Gugliotta

Latrell Sprewell

Rony Seikaly

Tim Hardaway*

Chris Mullin*

PSX/Saturn/Jaguar

Tim Hardaway

Latrell Sprewell

Rony Seikaly

Donyell Marshall*

Chris Mullin*

NBA Jam - All Team Rosters and Players

We of course have to start with the very first NBA Jam, the granddaddy of all NBA-approved arcade basketball video games. The game that made Arch Rivals the demo that it pretty much became. I went over my memories of this game during the project introduction article so I'll spend these opening remarks on fun facts of the game or the interesting that I found from my research. But before I do that, let me establish the format going forward.

I have listed all of the NBA teams that are in the game by their team name, rather than by their city or by what conference they are in. I then list the players in the order that they are sorted in the game. What's great about the original NBA Jam is that there's only two players per team, which makes it easy for me to note. But with each subsequent game, the team rosters get more messier and confusing.

The arcade version of NBA Jam was released in February 1993 and featured rosters from the 1992-93 season. The Genesis, Super Nintendo and Game Gear were the first to receive home ports, which were all released on "Jam Day" (March 4, 1994). These ports were updated to feature rosters from the 1993-94 season. The Sega CD and Game Boy received the second and last set of ports, released much later in 1994 (some have the GB version being released in October of the year). These two also received updates to the roster, as indicated by "NEW PLAYER ROSTER!" boldly placed on their covers, but reflected some of the major shakeups at the end of the season and what transpired off the court.

This game, specifically the arcade version, is very notable for being the most tragic game of the series. Not too long after the game's arcade release, Reggie Lewis and Drazen Petrovic both unexpectedly died. They were removed from the home ports. The loss of Petrovic became even more eerier as one of the revisions of the arcade game apparently had a bug where the announcer Tim Kitzrow would shout out "Petrovic!" at random.

I learned very much later just how good the Cavs were in the early 90's but I never picked them in the game largely due to their character portraits. Price and Daugherty looked like elementary school science teachers.

The Boston Celtics suffered the most changes in this game, as they had three roster shakeups across the versions and are the only team to feature five playable ballers.

Ah, the Dallas Mavericks. This game, along with Tournament Edition, cemented the team as the Glass Joe of the league. Though the rubberband AI of the arcade version made beating them more of a chore.

Mike Iuzzolino. The man, the myth, the unknown non-legend. If you ever want to flaunt your video game/sports knowledge or need to create a question for trivia night, this bottom-tier player can help you out.

The reason for "Charles Barkley/Dan Majerle" below is because early copies of NBA Jam for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo had Charles Barkley as player one. Once Barkley signed a deal with Accolade for his name and likeness rights and proceeded to develop his own arcade basketball game (Barkley Shut Up and Jam!), he was removed from later copies and replaced with Dan Majerle. Though not as famously well known, the same treatment happened with the Game Gear version as well.

The San Antonio Spurs are noticeably out-of-date in the Genesis/SNES versions. Player two is Sean Elliott, despite the fact that he was traded to the Detroit Pistons at the end of 1992-93 season. This wouldn't be the only strange thing to happen to this team.

The Sega CD and Game Boy are pretty much identical with each other. Both feature player removals, new additions and complete overhauls of the Bucks, Pistons, and Warriors, the former due to trades while the latter two due to major retirements and injuries.

But these later ports have two noticeable differences. The first one involves the Chicago Bulls. At the end of the 1993-94 season, Horace Grant became a free agent and ended up signing with the Orlando Magic in July 1994. The Sega CD version has him removed from the Bulls and replaced with B.J. Armstrong. However, the GB version matches with the previous home ports and has Grant with the Bulls.

The second difference between the Sega CD and Game Boy versions ended up revealing the only examples of a home console exclusive for NBA Jam. In the Sega CD version, the Spurs have Chuck Person as player two, who joined the team for the 1994-95 season. The Game Boy version, however, has Dale Ellis as player two, who left the team at the end of the 1993-94 season.

Though I don't have exact times of their release, these two differences make it clear to see that the Game Boy version was completed first and that the Sega CD version is the definitive final edition of NBA Jam.

76ers

Arcade

Hersey Hawkins

Jeff Hornacek

Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Clarence Weatherspoon

Jeff Hornacek

Sega CD/Game Boy

Clarence Weatherspoon

Jeff Malone

Bucks

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Brad Lohaus

Blue Edwards

Sega CD/Game Boy

Vin Baker

Eric Murdock

Bullets

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Tom Gugliotta

Harvey Grant

Sega CD/Game Boy

Tom Gugliotta

Calbert Cheaney

Bulls

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Boy/Game Gear

Scottie Pippen

Horace Grant

Sega CD

Scottie Pippen

B.J. Armstrong

Cavaliers

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Sega CD/Game Boy/Game Gear

Mark Price

Brad Daugherty

Celtics

Arcade

Reggie Lewis

Kevin McHale

Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Dee Brown

Robert Parish

Sega CD/Game Boy

Dee Brown

Dominique Wilkins

Clippers

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Danny Manning

Ron Harper

Sega CD/Game Boy

Pooh Richardson

Ron Harper

Hawks

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Dominique Wilkins

Stacey Augmon

Sega CD/Game Boy

Stacey Augmon

Mookie Blaylock

Heat

Arcade

Glen Rice

Rony Seikaly

Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Rony Seikaly

Harold Miner

Sega CD/Game Boy

Rony Seikaly

Glen Rice

Hornets

Arcade

Larry Johnson

Kendall Gill

Genesis/SNES/Sega CD/Game Boy/Game Gear

Larry Johnson

Alonzo Mourning

Jazz

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Sega CD/Game Boy/Game Gear

Karl Malone

John Stockton

Kings

Arcade

Wayman Tisdale

Spud Webb

Genesis/SNES/Sega CD/Game Boy/Game Gear

Wayman Tisdale

Mitch Richmond

Knicks

Arcade

Patrick Ewing

Charles Oakley

Genesis/SNES/Sega CD/Game Boy/Game Gear

Patrick Ewing

John Starks

Lakers

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

James Worthy

Vlade Divac

Sega CD/Game Boy

Vlade Divac

Nick Van Exel

Magic

Arcade

Shaquille O’Neal

Scott Skiles

Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Nick Anderson

Scott Skiles

Sega CD/Game Boy

Nick Anderson

Penny Hardaway

Mavericks

Arcade

Derek Harper

Mike Iuzzolino

Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Derek Harper

Jim Jackson

Sega CD/Game Boy

Jim Jackson

Jamal Mashburn

Nets

Arcade

Derrick Coleman

Drazen Petrovic

Genesis/SNES/Sega CD/Game Boy/Game Gear

Derrick Coleman

Kenny Anderson

Nuggets

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Dikembe Mutombo

LaPhonso Ellis

Sega CD/Game Boy

Dikembe Mutombo

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

Pacers

Arcade

Reggie Miller

Detlef Schrempf

Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Reggie Miller

Derrick McKey

Sega CD/Game Boy

Reggie Miller

Rik Smits

Pistons

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Isiah Thomas

Bill Laimbeer

Sega CD/Game Boy

Terry Mills

Joe Dumars

Rockets

Arcade

Hakeem Olajuwon

Kenny Smith

Genesis/SNES/Sega CD/Game Boy/Game Gear

Hakeem Olajuwon

Vernon Maxwell

Spurs

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

David Robinson

Sean Elliott

Sega CD

David Robinson

Chuck Person

Game Boy

David Robinson

Dale Ellis

Suns

Arcade

Charles Barkley

Dan Majerle

Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Charles Barkley/Dan Majerle

Kevin Johnson

Sega CD/Game Boy

Dan Majerle

Kevin Johnson

SuperSonics

Arcade

Shawn Kemp

Benoit Benjamin

Genesis/SNES/Sega CD/Game Boy/Game Gear

Shawn Kemp

Detlef Schrempf

Timberwolves

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Christian Laettner

Chuck Person

Sega CD/Game Boy

Christian Laettner

Isaiah Rider

Trail Blazers

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Clyde Drexler

Terry Porter

Sega CD/Game Boy

Clyde Drexler

Cliff Robinson

Warriors

Arcade/Genesis/SNES/Game Gear

Tim Hardaway

Chris Mullin

Sega CD/Game Boy

Chris Webber

Latrell Sprewell

Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train - Review

Literally picking up right where the first television season ended, Tanjiro and his fellow young demon slayers Zenitsu and Inosuke board a train. Their mission: make contact with the senior swordsman Rengoku and assist in the investigation of the rash of passenger disappearances. Though the majority of its huge worldwide success is largely due to the explosive popularity of the property, which is still lingering in the air despite the manga ending close to a year ago, DEMON SLAYER THE MOVIE: MUGEN TRAIN does deliver both as an action anime thrill ride and an emotional drama. Instead of being a standard one-off shonen flick and contend with potential story issues and limitations in actual stakes, the film follows the actual series continuity and adapts the titular arc. Sure, it is in a way just an appetizer for the upcoming second season but that won't stop it from putting both you and the characters through the ringer. There are several surprises and twists laid within the plot and the shocking conclusion is something that many a studio or franchise refrain from doing and/or exploring. The script also focuses heavily on themes about human fragility and the intoxication of escapism when it isn't allowing the slayers to perform dazzling and deadly strikes. Ufotable pretty much transferred to the big screen the same high caliber animation they brought to the television series though some of the CGI lands right on the middle between good and bad. The English dub cast is once again impeccable with Zach Aguilar's heart-pouring performance as Tanjiro and Mark Whitten's eccentric yet majestic stab at Rengoku being the true highlights. While I had fun with it, in my first trip back to a movie theater no less, non-fans and curious viewers will have some trouble, especially at why Tanjiro may be carrying his sister in a box. The makers could have fixed this at the start with some inner narration but they instead utilized it way too much in the film's second half. It also doesn't help matters that the main villain gets a little tiring and you often can feel the film's long running time. But the real travesty of the picture is the ridiculous R rating it got from the MPA. Seriously, tweens and teenagers have seen and heard worst things. While it may not work as a gateway into the series, DEMON SLAYER THE MOVIE: MUGEN TRAIN still achieves in giving you goosebumps and maybe some tears to shed.

FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5

The NBA Jam Project - Introduction

Every gamer has a story about when they first encountered a groundbreaking video game that would change them in some way. One of those games for myself was NBA Jam, the 2-on-2 arcade basketball game where players could jump twenty feet in the air for a slam dunk or dominate their opponents to the point of causing the ball to be set on fire.

As for my story: It happened in 1993 while my family was on vacation. I stubbornly tried to prod my parents for the exact location for this article but of course neither of them have an ironclad memory or had an inkling to think about writing it down somewhere. Anyway, we took a brief stop at a local arcade, more than likely because of me dragging my feet or whining to go there. While perusing the arcade cabinets, I encountered it. Immediately struck by its side panel featuring a large NBA logo placed over a closeup of a basketball, I went over and watched the demo play out for a bit. I then plucked down two quarters into the coin slot.

After some confusion with the process of entering initials, I came upon the team select screen and was blown away. These were all real NBA players and on their real NBA teams. I went all over the screen even while the incredibly loud timer began to ring out. I thought about picking my favorite team, the Chicago Bulls. They had Scottie Pippen but the bald guy with him wasn't Michael Jordan. I went to the New York Knicks, another favorite, and was glad to see Patrick Ewing there. But I ultimately decided on the Orlando Magic because, with my mind blown again, it had Shaquille O'Neal and I wanted to play as him. The game officially begins and I'm overwhelmed by the visuals and of course the sound of it all. Seriously, the NBA Jam arcade cabinet was unbelievably loud by design. I grappled with the controls, constantly kept goal tending despite becoming fearful of the game's intense alarm to cut that shit out, and was able to deliver some dunks. The first quarter ends and I'm losing. The game immediately asks for more money to continue but I was either empty or on my last couple coins. The game ends but I'm completely changed by the experience.

Time passes from that event but I'm still hooked on NBA Jam. I don't have any other lasting memories with the arcade version other than that initial encounter but I must have had a few run-ins with it or, more likely, did my usual routine of watching other people play from the side. It's now spring 1994 and thanks to a huge marketing campaign, I'm well aware of NBA Jam coming to my beloved Sega Genesis. While on a mini-vacation to visit a family friend, my mom is awesome enough to buy me a copy. Once we get home, I practically run to the Genesis so I, and oh yeah maybe my older brother as well, can play the game. I of course have a blast with it, further fueled when the codes for secret characters come out, but I already had some disappointment with it going in. For you see, thanks to what I skimmed from magazine coverage and other news, I was well aware that Shaq would not be in it due to business reasons. I was happy though that I at least got to play as Charles Barkley, which I for a long while though was just a special console exclusive for the Genesis.

Cut to 2020. I'm currently reeling from watching The Last Dance during the pandemic and in immediate need for some more basketball, preferably anything that also helps fuel the nostalgia factor. I of course first look towards NBA Jam. While deciding on either playing the original games on an emulator or just booting up the EA reboot downloaded on my PS3, I see that NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is on sale on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Since it has Michael Jordan in it, along with some more recent NBA players, I went with that option. As of this writing, Playgrounds 2 has become my second most played game on the system, clocking in at 85+ hours of playtime. And yes, the huge playtime is in part due to my absolute refusal to pay for virtual currency and willingness to grind out the process of unlocking all of the players.

As I'm playing Playgrounds 2 though I begin to wonder: Are all of the players from the original NBA Jam in here? What about the people in Tournament Edition? I look online for some help only to shockingly find practically nothing on the game. There's a ton of YouTube videos of the game but they're more focused on the YouTubers playing it and their online experiences. Nothing focusing on the actual game itself (besides a few helpful FAQs) or its huge roster. Wikipedia just practically hides the game away. Even Giant Bomb and their great alternative wiki has no real or concise info beyond a loose "Characters" page. Because of this annoying setback, I decided to do my own personal FAQ, listing out the players in their proper teams and lamenting at how the game lacks players like Toni Kukoc and Rony Seikaly or doesn't have versions of Kevin Garnett and Jeremy Lin under their more famous teams. As I'm doing this, I begin to cross-reference Playgrounds 2 with the old NBA Jam games in order to generate an easy guide on the playability of NBA players. However, during the process I begin to see that the NBA Jam games have some noticeable differences in their rosters among the versions. And additionally none of this is really well known or broadcasted across the internet. So I decided to take the initiative again.

Over the next four days, I will be posting the full NBA team rosters for the original four Midway produced NBA Jam games. Those games are the original NBA Jam, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, NBA Hangtime, and NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC. I'll not only be noting all of the players on a NBA team in a game but also the team roster differences between the game's many ports and revisions. For example, as mentioned in my story, Shaquille O'Neal was in the arcade version of NBA Jam but was removed in the Sega Genesis version. I did all that I could on no budget to document these games fully and accurately for all my fellow NBA and arcade basketball fans. If I'm up to do it in the future, I also hope to maybe cover the infamous Acclaim line of NBA Jam games and/or the last of Midway's NBA attempts, NBA Hoopz, since they all also have a distinct lack of online chronicling.

And if you're still questioning why I went to the trouble to do all this, please remember: being featured in a NBA Jam game was a practically a godsend for a NBA player. You're weren't just a name or a small peg on a team like in basketball sim games such as the NBA Live series. Your own face was hand drawn on to a video game body, not just a blob of pixels. You were deemed important and famous enough to become "the" hero of your team, able to fly high, dunk hard, and set the ball on fire. You became part of a lasting legacy instead of just a footnote in a basketball team's history.

Please enjoy!

Reaction to the 2021 Oscars

Oh boy, last night's show. It was certainly different but not all of twists and turns the producers implemented worked in the end. In fact, a lot of them straight up sucked, especially with the absolutely horrible decision for the final award which blew up in their face and is now hailed by viewers and critics as an even worst finale than the Moonlight/La La Land screwup.

12-11. Now with the sound categories merged, I can no longer get my standard 13-11 but I still didn't improved at all.

We of course kicked everything off with the newly revamped preshow that stunk. The whole environment reeked of a hoity-toity country club.

Lil Rel Howery and Ariana DeBose were fine as the preshow hosts but the casual nature of the site, the open air, and low stakes in the interviews sucked out a lot of their charisma. This is why you have the always-on hyperactive stooges handling the mics. Though given the nominees and guests expected, even Ryan Seacrest didn't care to waste his energy on this whole endeavor.

The "Husavik" performance went all out and absolutely killed it. They really didn't want the other nominees to have a chance with the viewers.

Complete snore to the Diane Warren song. The first of four nominees to be treated less of a performance and more of a product placement for the new Academy museum.

#Bigscreenisback huh? Then how come Mortal Kombat nearly lost to Demon Slayer at this weekend's box office? It should have had a huge lead if your hashtag was really true.

The Chicago 7 song was fine but certainly not best of the year worthy. Sounds like something pulled from the cobwebs.

"Speak Now" has a nice haunting vibe to it but it gets very repetitive and doesn't really stick with you. Still think it will win unfortunately.

Still not many real movie stars being interviewed. No wonder this show is going to bomb in the ratings.

Alright, "Fight For You" put a ton of effort into their performance. Direction, choreography, proper COVID protocols, everything. The open air took away some of H.E.R.'s voice but the whole thing still popped off.

The show officially begins with a long tracking shot of Regina King walking while opening credits are placed on the screen. This was actually pretty good.

Oh wait, they are seriously going to keep the cinematic widescreen going forward? It doesn't actually make the show any more interesting.

Seriously come on, I want film clips for the nominees, not facts about the lives and backstories. That's why you have talk shows and interviews before this event. Facts about a nominee's first movie-related job doesn't make me or anyone in America want to watch their movie. But a great movie clip can, hence why they always get A TON of views on YouTube.

The daylight is killing the whole mystique of the ceremony.

I guess the other screenwriter of The Father was banned from speaking, so he had to just awkwardly stand there. The director rules all.

Oh thank god, we have some clips! Yes, sell these foreign films to the public!

Of course the most happiest foreign film won over all of the depressing stuff. But then that became depressing as well with Thomas Vinterberg's touching yet distressing speech about the loss of his daughter.

I do really appreciate no orchestra walk off music for the nominees but some of these earlier winners need to cut to the chase or just go out on a high note.

Oh no, they're doing that routine where they lavishly praise the actors again. Everybody balked at that the first time around. Just play their award showcase clips!

Very happy with Daniel Kaluuya getting an Oscar. I also really enjoyed his very British rambling acceptance speech, even when he pretty much ruined by bringing up his parents having sex and the cut to his actual mother and her WTF response.

So I guess the Oscars are now the Super Bowl and giving the hard sell to only special Hollywood movies. First one up is Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. Remaking it is still unnecessary but this sucker is going to go, even with persona non grata Ansel Elgort being in it.

Yeah, don't show what the hair and makeup or costume people actually did. America would rather just see them sitting in couches. It's not like you're wasting all of the empty space on the television screen or do a picture in picture.

Look, what the MPTF did is cool and all but this special award is death for TV. It reeked of a corporate awards event.

Wait, what?! Best Director already?!!!

Chloé Zhao making history and having a very nice speech about the goodness of people. All around yes.

Now we have Best Sound and of course no sound or any examples.

Reese Witherspoon did a really great job with her presenting the animated categories.

Yes to If Anything Happens I Love You! Again, it's really hard to happy when saying that.

Yes, yes to Best Animated Film getting clips. Thank god! Wish the shorts got it too to show off their hard work.

Disney wins again with Soul. Come on, give us another Spider-Verse like surprise!

Of course the Holocaust doc won. Stay in your lane, the Academy.

Now the feature docs get clips as well.

My Octopus Teacher?!!! Freaking wow. If it had to be a Netflix doc, couldn't you have given it to a better one?

Look at all of those great visual effects from last year. That low camera shot! That person sitting down in a remote theater!

Youn Yuh-jung with a very endearing speech for Best Support Actress. Probably the best one of the night.

Oh now that want to implement walk off music?

Now for the hard sell for In The Heights. Is F9 being saved for hour three?

I'll admit, I liked the joke about the test reactions to Blade Runner for the intro to Best Editing.

We lost all of the song performances just so Tyler Perry can be praised. Honestly though, it was worth it to hear him with his great speech about meeting in the middle.

Complete dead air silence for Best Score.

Those 12 notes are in fact so dope, Jon Batiste.

Now we are granted to hear the Best Songs of last year, albeit via their music videos.

I love H.E.R. but come on! "Husavik" was robbed in favor of something that will sadly fade away.

We're now playing a music game? The clock is running on the show!

Okay, this segment was worth it in the end. Andra Day swearing, Get Out spoilers, and a set up joke with Glenn Close knowing and dancing to "Da Butt" for School Daze.

So hour three's movie hard sell is Questlove's music doc. I'm certainly down for that.

Using a somber but uplifting song (Stevie Wonder's "As") for In Memoriam was a nice different choice. I both liked and didn't liked the fast editing.

Best Picture?! Now?!!!

"Oh wow!" I wonder what the producers are planning to do, despite causing the show to feel anticlimactic.

At least they showed clips of them, even if they are mostly acting clips.

Loved Joel Coen with his stone face reaction to his wife's wolf calling when Nomadland won Best Picture.

Frances won? NO! I wonder what will come next!

HOPKINS???!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!!

And we end. Nothing to see here folks besides a total disaster zone.

The Academy: We are not inclusive

Final Award of the Night: Old white guy wins LOL

Seriously, you had a chance where people of color could deservedly win all of or at least the majority of the acting categories for the first time ever. Instead, the Academy chose to have white people for the main two.

Mortal Kombat (2021) - Review

Crappy washed-up MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) finds out that his dragon-like birthmark actually designates him to be one of Earth's mightiest champions to save their realm from an interdimensional combat tournament called Mortal Kombat. Unfortunately for the pitiful pit fighter, he needs to quickly get up to snuff because the leader of Outrealm Shang Tsung (Chin Han) is dispatching some of his warriors out to kill the competition before the tournament officially begins. Yes, you read that right; MORTAL KOMBAT forgoes the easy layup of a violent martial arts tournament just so it can have a series of tepid fights and confusing warfare all in order to be nothing of substantial worth but to set up a sequel. Though this is far and away better than MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION, the reboot does share some of the big problems that sunk that infamous sequel.

The script by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham is woefully poor, riddled with way too many cheeky references and in-jokes to cover up all of its shortcomings. Why complain about the shitty opening text screen or how all the heroes are assholes to each other when I can be a sheep and point and clap at the repetitive leg-sweeps, the usage of the famed uppercut, or cameos such as Shinnok's amulet? Wait, some of the people actually do their fatalities in all of their gloriously gory fashion? And there's also a random guy named Eddy Tobias?! That totally makes up for the absolutely stupid way all of the heroes have to find their hidden magical abilities. Or how a mouthy mercenary who is clearly evil is treated to be a savior of humanity until he "shockingly" might have a chance of allegiance for pathetically limp reasons. Or how the newly generated main protagonist is incredibly ineffectual on his own and utterly devoid of charisma to be the supposed prophetic leader of Earthrealm.

It further doesn't help that the script is filled with plot holes that would outstretch any portal generated by a thunder god or a soul-sucking sorcerer. I don't know what I suffered more from; Was it how a left-for-dead non-designated hero somehow arrived early and with ease to a secluded location than Earth's last remaining defenders of the realm? Or maybe it is how Earth's diety protector Raiden always has willy-nilly teleportation powers, including the ability to transport Earth's heroes into an ultra-safe void environment that Shang Tsung could never ever penetrate, but choses not to. Other written embarrassments include the eye-rolling pop culture laden insults (nearly all of whom just happen to be Warner Bros movies), an arcana power being easily defeated by modern medicine, and the rushed final third of the picture consisting of a big battle, a "major" death, then an immediate final series of brief fights. Then you have the fireworks factory that is Scorpion, one of if not the most popular character of the franchise. After an admittedly good prologue, the legendary hell ninja is goofily teased and teased until surprise, he pops up in time for one last fight. He also pops in to save the wimpy hero but we are supposed to not pay too much attention to that.  All of this would have been a fun shock if not for the sheer fact that he is all over the poster and all of the trailer and commercial media spoils nearly the entire fight.

Eerily similar to MK: ANNIHILATION, Warner Bros gave the film to an unproven director and it clearly shows. Simon McQuoid is adequate enough to make a couple of good scenes but they are all front loaded in the movie. He proceeds to go on auto-pilot for the rest of film when he isn't tanking a scene thanks to bad lighting or laughable editing. All of the actual combat scenes are often executed confusingly, due to bad camera placement or flat choreography or both, and are way too brief to be totally satisfying. The visual effects are a very mixed bag. Though I often hate CGI blood, I didn't really mind it too much here and the gory fatalities were pretty damn good at being gory. The effects crew also did a fine enough job with most of the special moves and a certain midboss character. On the other hand, one notable character is given robotic arms that look so fake and are so pitifully tiny that they immediately break the suspension and will cause you and your audience to burst out laughing every time you see them. And the less said about Raiden's eyes, the better. As for the acting, look: I spent a lot of this review ridiculing Cole Young and how he is written and shown on screen. It's nice that we got another non-white main character for this film franchise and Lewis Tan is probably a nice guy but he doesn't have the ability to shine past his character's bottomless shortcomings. The rest of the cast is serviceable enough but the only two to stand out at all are Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada as Sub-Zero and Scorpion respectively. Taslim does well as a total menace from beginning to end whenever the story remembers his character exists and Sanada brings some real gravitas as the tragic ninja when he's not distracting you with the fiddling of his mask.

As someone who's been in love with the franchise since its inception, still utterly adores the 1995 movie, warts and all, and continues to listen to its and the sequel's excellent house-and-metal soundtracks, I know that I will more than likely revisit this reboot more than once down the road and give far it more attention compared to better reviewed flicks. But time will not sand off the many harsh edges this disappointing reboot will forever have. To be honest, thanks to this being released via HBO Max, my time with it was actually more enjoyable even with all of the snickers and groans. If I saw this in theaters, I would have been more crestfallen and maybe even harsher against it.

FINAL REVIEW: 2 / 5