NBA Jam Tournament Edition

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at a handful of minor inaccuracies – some of which involve Harold Miner – in NBA Jam TE for PC.

The PC version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition is one of my all-time favourite basketball video games. It’s actually the first basketball video game that I owned, and I still have my original copy thirty years later. To that end, along with trading cards, it played a part in teaching me about NBA teams and players during the early days of my basketball fandom. Of course, being an arcade title that took liberties with ratings and indeed the importance of certain players, it wasn’t the most accurate introduction across the board!

Obviously I had other, more accurate resources as well, from magazines and books to watching every game and episode of NBA Action that I could. It soon allowed me to identify the inaccuracies in NBA Jam TE PC, though it didn’t diminish my love of the game. In fact, as the years have gone by and I’ve also learned more about video game development, it’s been fascinating to dust off the game and analyse those inaccuracies; especially the ones that appear to be intentional design choices. There are a few that I’d like to discuss today, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m reflecting on it being 30 years since I bought the PC version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition, aka NBA Jam TE.

These days, I have a sizeable collection of basketball video games – I’m overdue to take a new photo with the additions that I’ve made since 2022 – but it all had to start somewhere! As it happens, I purchased my very first basketball video game 30 years ago yesterday. That game was of course NBA Jam Tournament Edition, or NBA Jam TE as it’s also commonly known. A minor technical issue prevented me from playing it on January 27th 1996, but a day later that was all sorted, so today marks 30 years since I hit the virtual hardwood in NBA Jam Tournament Edition for the first time.

Needless to say, as one of the earliest titles that turned my interest in basketball and basketball gaming into full-blown fandom – some might say obsession – NBA Jam Tournament Edition is an all-time nostalgic favourite. It certainly helps that just like the original NBA Jam, it still holds up superbly three decades later. Of course, even if I wasn’t able to enjoy it today, it’d still be a special part of my history with the virtual hardwood and real hoops alike. As such, I’ll never pass up the opportunity to reflect on it, especially on a milestone anniversary! Let’s take a look back…way back…

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An exciting new mod is now available, as eskayelle and Wake have released NBA Jam 50 for the PlayStation version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition! As you may recall, eskayelle has previously released some excellent mods for the Super Nintendo version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition, including NBA Jam 2K20 and the Double Z mod.

NBA Jam 50 celebrates the last fifty years in basketball as it features players from 1975 through to 2025, along with some special characters. I’ll let the official description tell the full story here:

Get ready to razzle some dazzle with many of the greatest (and some questionable…) players from 1975 through 2025! Celebrating the last 50 years of basketball (and – in NBA Jam style – pop culture), NBA Jam 50 for PlayStation is a full art assets (portraits, heads, sound clips, etc.) update from the minds of Double Z and Wake that overlays the wackiness of those previous Double Z Mods on top of ponlork’s NBA Jam 2K22 engine. Get ready for some crazy mashups and matchups with the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Bronny James, Steph Curry, Larry Bird, Vince Carter, Magic Johnson, Shaq, Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, Victor Wembanyama, and many more!

Do you BELIEVE in NBA Jam 50? You can’t see it till you play it, brother!

Pick up the mod here in our Downloads database! For more information and previews, please see this topic in the Forum. Shout out to eskayelle and Wake for another fantastic release for one of the best arcade basketball games ever made! As always, we appreciate modders who are dedicated to making amazing roster projects available to everyone free of charge. I’m still hoping that we can figure out how to mod the PC version of NBA Jam TE at some point, but for now, it’s great to see these ROM hacks for the SNES, PlayStation, and original arcade releases. In the meantime, check out NBA Jam 50, and let us know what you think!

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the free Lights Out screensaver that was packaged with the PC version of NBA Jam TE.

Considering that it’s one of my all-time favourite basketball video games, it should be no surprise that I’ve covered NBA Jam Tournament Edition several times in Wayback Wednesday. The PC version is particularly special to me, as it’s one of the very first hoops games that I bought. Indeed, I still have my original copy, which is fortunate as it seems to be a rare and expensive collectible nowadays! In any case, I’ve discussed so many aspects of NBA Jam TE in detail, from retrospectives of the game, to Kevin Edwards’ incorrect portrait, to theories about ratings.

However, apart from a fleeting mention in the aforementioned retrospective, I’ve never really talked about the Lights Out screensaver that came with NBA Jam TE PC. As a young, hoops-crazed PC gamer back in the 90s, it became a source of frustration for me, as I was never able to install it. This wasn’t a case of technological illiteracy, as I’ve been tinkering with computers since the age of eight or so (is it any surprise that I got into IT?). Rather, it’s an apparent mistake with the included documentation, one that I’ve long sought a solution to. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the timeline that led to the rosters and branding in the PC and PS1 versions of NBA Jam TE.

It’s interesting how many of us who grew up playing video games in the 90s can have different memories of the same title, depending on which platform we played it on. These days, multi-platform releases tend to be identical for the most part. Even when it comes to the cross-generational NBA 2K games these past few years, there are familiar gameplay mechanics in the eighth and ninth gen versions, not to mention shared roster updates and seasonal content. Conversely, back in the 90s, staggered release dates for the same title across various platforms led to interesting differences.

The various iterations of NBA Jam provide some fun examples. Depending on which revision was present in your local arcade, or which home port you played, you’ll recall different squads. These revisions and updates continued with NBA Jam Tournament Edition, infamously resulting in the fourth arcade revision including a cancelled trade. NBA Jam TE was ultimately updated through two NBA seasons by the time the final home ports for PC and PS1 were released, with that timeline leading to an interesting evolution in the rosters and team branding. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the PS1 version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition.

Although it’s been surpassed by NBA Jam: On Fire Edition as both my personal favourite and my pick for the best game in the NBA Jam series, I still hold NBA Jam Tournament Edition in extremely high regard. It’s a title that I’ve covered several times here on the NLSC, from reflections while watching a game I’d recorded and an in-depth retrospective, to discussing weird ratings and an error that I somehow overlooked for more than twenty years. In short, NBA Jam TE is a release that I’ll eagerly revisit for both content creation purposes, and my own enjoyment.

As I’ve mentioned in previous features, I grew up playing the PC and Super Nintendo versions of NBA Jam Tournament Edition. Since I’ve been expanding my collection of basketball video games in recent years, I’ve sought out the PlayStation version of NBA Jam TE as well. It was the only version that I didn’t own for the platforms at my disposal, but late last year, I finally managed to snag a copy at a reasonable price. I noted that since I now had it as part of my collection, I’d be comparing NBA Jam Tournament Edition PS1 to the releases I grew up with, in a future Wayback Wednesday feature. The time has come, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the somersault dunks in NBA Jam Tournament Edition.

One of the joys of hitting the virtual hardwood is discovering all the moves that you can pull off, and the variety of animations on offer. It’s something that we can take for granted now that hoops titles boast thousands of animations and an array of signature styles. Back when games were far more limited in what they could feasibly include, it was a thrill to discover new moves that we didn’t expect to see. Dunks were of course the premiere highlight, and we all have slams that we’re partial to in our favourite basketball video games.

There are many spectacular slams that I enjoy seeing thrown down by the players I’m controlling, but when it comes to NBA Jam Tournament Edition, I’m particularly fond of the somersault dunks. As a 90s kid who loved basketball and video games, they represented the pinnacle of highlights in a title that was all about over-the-top high-flying dunks. Even when I go back and play NBA Jam TE today, I’m excited whenever I see a player going into a somersault as they leap into the air. I’m sure I’m not alone in appreciating the soaring somersault dunks of NBA Jam TE, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #466 of the NLSC Podcast!

Despite undoubtedly being a classic release, NBA Jam Tournament Edition features some weird ratings. We’re spotlighting some of the most egregious examples, and speculating on how they might’ve come about. Needless to say, Yinka Dare gets a mention! We’ve also got plans for March Modness, which will be tipping off in a couple of days. As we always like to do, we recap our recent sessions on the virtual hardwood, including updates on our progress in MyCAREER and MyLEAGUE. This also leads to a potentially controversial comparison of NBA Live 06 and NBA 2K6 for Xbox 360! In this week’s mailbag, we join the community in sharing our ideal gaming experiences, from preferred modes to how we get set up to play.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:16:08 — 52.6MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #420 of the NLSC Podcast!

Inspired by QB1120’s stories of Keyon Dooling in NBA 2K7, we fired up the game to see what the fuss was all about. Turns out, we have a newly-minted Video Game Legend! We also connected with Brent and NBA Live Girl for a 4-player session of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition that none of us wanted to end. After recapping some other recent adventures on the virtual hardwood, we talk about the reason we’re able to play so many basketball video games: our passion for collecting. We open up the mailbag to talk about the games that our listeners wish that they owned, as well as some of the purchases that they regret.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:26:21 — 59.7MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the secrets in NBA Jam TE that were actually revealed by the attract mode screens.

If you’ve never known a time before YouTube, social media, and readily accessible information on just about anything you can name, it may be difficult to imagine not having detailed knowledge of a game’s secrets. That’s how it used to be, though. We had to buy (or photocopy!) official hint books and strategy guides, or consult game magazines for tips and cheat codes. Some secrets went undiscovered for years, or gave rise to urban legends. Discussion was limited to your circle of friends, which meant information travelled slower than it can nowadays.

To that point, there are details about some of my favourite video games – basketball and otherwise – that I didn’t know until I finally got online in the late 90s. Of course, when it comes to some games, there are details that I could’ve and should’ve known, but remained ignorant of because I was young and impatient, and thus not properly observant. These include a few secrets in NBA Jam TE on PC, which is one of my all-time favourite basketball games. I don’t know how I missed this information the first time around, and you’ll probably wonder too as we take a look back…way back…

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Episode #403 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this weekly podcast that’s all about basketball gaming.

The second game of our Semi-Finals series in the NLSC NBA Live 10 Tournament was marred by some technical issues, but we had much better luck with other games during a Parsec session. We recap one of the wildest games of NBA Jam Tournament Edition that we’ve ever played, using a fantastic 2014 season roster mod. Another highlight came when we revisited the PC version of NBA Live 96, and couldn’t help gushing about the presentation. Double Dribble also got a run (CORNER THREE!), though it did show its age. In this week’s mailbag, we discuss the arguments for and against paid mods, and how to avoid burnout when working on big modding projects.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:29:24 — 61.8MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Join in the conversation in the comments below, or here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future shows. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m taking a look back at a cancelled trade that made its way into the arcade version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition.

We’ve just passed the trade deadline for the 2020 season, and saw a flurry of activity. In the wake of all the deals that went down, several players have been cut, many of whom will no doubt attract some interest on the open market. All of these transactions will be taken care of in NBA 2K20, which receives regular official roster updates. We’re also able to update rosters ourselves, and that’s something we’ve obviously been doing for years in our community, for both NBA Live and NBA 2K. Of course, over a decade ago, official roster updates weren’t as common.

If we go back even further, we’ll find a lot of games that didn’t receive any roster updates post-release, as well as titles that didn’t have roster customisation features. This was true of NBA Jam and its sequel NBA Jam Tournament Edition, which were stuck with out-of-date rosters once trades and signings occurred. Well, sort of. There were changes in different revisions and releases of the NBA Jam games, and on at least one occasion, an update resulted in an error due to a cancelled trade. It’s an interesting situation, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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Following the earlier beta release, eskayelle has uploaded the finalised version of the NBA Jam 2K20 Tournament Edition mod for the Super Nintendo version of NBA Jam TE! The patch can be applied to an SNES ROM, and played in an emulator. Key features of the mod are as follows:

• Updated rosters! Starters and bench strength from the end of the 2018-19 season are here!
• New players! Luka Doncic, Evan Fornier, Clint Capela, Moe Harkless, Myles Turner, Seth Curry, Zion Williamson…are all in the game.
• All 30 teams are playable, the Grizzlies, World Champion Raptors and Pelicans prominently displayed on an Others team.
• Beat the game to access the 2019 All-Stars, expanded rosters, and legacy players!
• New and old secret players are obtainable via initials and button combinations.
• Bad boys Barkley, Laimbeer, and Rodman are all at your fingertips!
• More sound clips! Wizards! Thunder! Plus a couple surprises!
• Contemporary logos are combined with some old favorites.
• “Greyscaled” uniform portraits for more seamless future roster swaps.
• Battle from worst to first based on the 2018-19 season standings and Playoffs.
• Bug fixes from past hacks remain in the game!
• Got a hankerin’ to put on a hurtin’? Injury stats max out at a whopping 50! No shove, no love!
• Konami codes from the previous hacks get you expanded rosters, plus either the 2019 All-Stars or the Grizzlies/Raptors/Pelicans.
• Plus a few new court colors sprinkled in for fun…

Download NBA Jam 2K20 Tournament Edition here, and check out this topic in the NLSC Forum for more information, previews, support, or just to say thanks!

Following on from the release of the Double Z Mod, eskayelle has released a beta version of NBA Jam TE 2K20! The mod for the Super Nintendo version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition features updated rosters with 169 players, including some bonus players on their former teams in the vein of the NBA Playgrounds series.

Not only does the mod add new players with appropriate ratings, but also updated team logos and court colours. Since the game only includes 27 NBA teams, the Rookies squad includes players from the Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, and New Orleans Pelicans. The Seattle SuperSonics have also been replaced by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

As noted, NBA Jam TE 2K20 is currently in open beta, so expect further changes as players start moving around during the offseason. Download it here, and check out this topic in the NLSC Forum for further previews and information!

An exciting new release by eskayelle has been added to our Downloads section: the Double Z Mod for the Super Nintendo version of NBA Jam Tournament Edition! The mod is an ultimate 90s update for NBA Jam TE on SNES, adding several new players and teams. An overview of the key features is as follows:

• Forget the Rookies! Now play as the 1992 Dream Team!
• Bugs from the original game have been fixed, i.e., the Grand Champions and Injuries bugs.
• Assets from the original game have been restored, such as the Mortal Kombat banners.
• Battle the 27 NBA teams from worst to first, based on 1992-93 conference standings and playoffs results.
• Tons of new secret characters, including Hulk Hogan, David Hasselhoff, Arnie (as the T-800), and more!
• Play as the 72-10 1996 Chicago Bulls!
• Play as the Motor City Bad Boys!
• Play as “The Worm”, Dennis Rodman, on at least four teams!
• Play as a new Underdogs team, pairing up some secret characters and other interesting match-ups.
• Expanded rosters are now as easy as inputting 2 versions of the Konami code.
• Enjoy new announcer sound clips with some serious 90s sound bytes. Just try not to smile when you hear the Macho Man chime in…or Ric Flair…WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
• As an added bonus, included is a patch to play as Jean-Claude Van Damme. Welcome to NBA Jamme!

Download it here, and check out the release topic here for further information, support, and previews. eskayelle is also working on an NBA Jam 2K20 TE mod which will update the game with current season rosters, similar to the NBA Jam 2K17 mod that was released a couple of years ago. You can find more information on that project here.