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Wayback Wednesday: Buying NBA Tapes & DVDs From PonTel

Wayback Wednesday: Buying NBA Tapes & DVDs From PonTel

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 reminiscing about buying NBA tapes and DVDs from PonTel.

I’m shifting focus away from the virtual hardwood here, and while I have done that before in Wayback Wednesday, on this occasion it’s tough to relate it back to video games. However, I trust that most of us are basketballs fans with a keen interest in the NBA, so I believe that you’ll find it relevant. With that being said, if you live in the United States or Canada, you’re probably not familiar with PonTel. After all, their products are not available in those countries, as they aren’t licensed to distribute there. Of course, they don’t really need to, given the access to sports in the US and Canada.

So, what is PonTel? They’re a licensed distributor of complete games for US sports leagues, namely the NBA, NFL, and MLB, as well as college basketball and football. They also have a large library of classic NBA games, which was of particular interest to me when I discovered them. If you were an NBA fan living in Australia, Europe, or Asia in the early 2000s, there’s a chance that you made at least a few purchases from PonTel. Let’s take a look back…way back…

If you’re from the US or Canada, or you don’t remember a time before streaming services were affordable and readily available, it may be close to impossible to truly appreciate PonTel. When I first got into basketball, there’d be NBA highlights in the news and other sports shows, but coverage was mostly limited to NBA Action and a Game of the Week that aired on tape delay, often late at night. This meant setting the VCR to tape the game, or staying up to hit record/watch it. It was better than nothing though, and there was always a sense of anticipation as I rewound the tape the next morning, wondering which teams would be featured. I always hoped for the Bulls!

NBA All-Star Weekend VHS Tapes

That was on free-to-air TV, of course. If you had pay TV, there were naturally more games each week, and access to further coverage such as SportsCenter. Once my family got connected to the Internet, I was able to follow along with scores and news. Mind you, the short, low resolution videos clips of the time took ages to download on dial-up, so forget about streaming! After the 1999 season, Channel Ten lost the rights to broadcast the NBA, and no other Aussie free-to-air channels picked it up for some time. I had to rely on tapes from my cousin, who had access to pay TV. Oh, and PonTel. Once I was told about that service, I had access to all the hoops I wanted.

As a licensed reseller of complete NBA games, PonTel were able to distribute tapes – and later DVDs – to countries where there was less access to the league. In the early 2000s, they offered subscription services in which you’d receive a specified number of games on DVD featuring the team of your choice (presumably your favourite). It was basically NBA League Pass via mail, and while it meant watching the games at least a week after they’d been played, at least you’d get to see your team in action. Even after I’d subscribed to pay TV myself, I still had a PonTel subscription because at the time, not many Bulls games were on national TV, and thus ESPN Australia didn’t air them.

In addition to subscriptions, you could buy individual games of your choosing here and there, and there were discounts for purchasing in lots of four. This was a deal that I took advantage of several times, particularly when it came to classic games. Even though I was still very invested in the current NBA when I first started using PonTel, it was the classic games that I was most interested in. Over a few years, I built up a collection of All-Star and Playoff games, as well as some of Michael Jordan’s most impressive performances. They also sold some NBA Home Video titles that are now out of print. I bought them as well, or in some cases, requested them as gifts.

Pontel DVDs

Getting those classic games on VHS, and later DVD – I switched to DVD far too late, mind you – brought me a tremendous amount of joy. In many cases, I was seeing the games in full for the first time. I’d seen the highlights of course, and knew my history from poring over magazines, the official NBA Encyclopedia, trading cards, and yes, video games. I was able to watch full All-Star Weekends, and it was amazing to see entire dunk contests as they played out, rather than the usual out of order highlights that you’d see on NBA Action and home videos. As I continued to collect games, I managed to amass every Playoff win from the Chicago Bulls’ championship runs.

I still have those tapes and DVDs, in fact. I also still have a VCR with which to watch them, though I have to admit that if the cost wasn’t an issue, I’d probably repurchase my VHS collection in DVD format since PonTel is still around all these years later. It would be a bit irresponsible for me to do that at this time, but every so often, I’ll load up the site and consider adding a few beloved classics to the cart and placing an order. It was always such a thrill to see the parcel post van pull up, and the driver carrying those packages to the door. I was full of anticipation from the moment I placed the orders, and those classic games never disappointed me when they finally arrived.

Bringing it back to basketball video games for a moment, I’ve felt similar anticipation when I’ve made an addition to the collection, especially when it’s been a game that I didn’t play when it was new. Getting those titles in the mail and finally checking them out reminds me of waiting on PonTel tapes and DVDs; though, to be fair, the quality of the video games hasn’t been as consistent as MJ and the Bulls’ greatest hits! It’s been a familiar experience as a collector though, and similarly nostalgic. I like to think that I have a healthy appreciation for the history of all things basketball, and while not all old video games are timeless classics, I obviously love revisiting them.

NBA Games on DVD

Interestingly, when I first started using eBay, it wasn’t uncommon to see PonTel tapes and DVDs for sale. I did buy one once – the Bulls’ season opener in 1995, their first win on the road to 72-10 and championship number four – as it wasn’t available on PonTel’s website. For the most part though, I preferred to deal with PonTel directly. At a glance, there doesn’t seem to be many PonTel games available on eBay anymore. I’m guessing it’s not due to distribution rights, as eBay will remove bootlegs and other unauthorised items. More likely, people have just lost their tapes and DVDs, or want to keep them. There’s likely also less demand on the second-hand market nowadays.

On a related note, in my early forays into the eBay market – we’re talking around 2005, 2006 here – it wasn’t uncommon to see people selling their own recordings of NBA games on burned DVDs, often as bundles. It didn’t take long for eBay to get wind of it though, and they shut those sellers down. A few sellers tried to get creative by offering the games with a trading card, claiming it was the card that people were buying rather than the game DVDs, which were just a bonus; eBay wasn’t fooled by that, either. That seems to be a thing of the past, but I did pick up a handful of those games. Once again though, most of my classic games were bought through PonTel.

At this point, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is sponsored content; a paid article to promote PonTel. I promise that it isn’t. I haven’t had any contact with them since I inquired about an order many years ago. There’s no agreement in place, and a site dedicated to basketball video games wouldn’t be on their radar. Obviously NBA League Pass and other services are the way to go for live NBA games, but if you’d like to collect some classic games or order a few favourites from the current season for posterity, check them out if you’re in Australia, Europe, or Asia. Basketball video games are interactive almanacs, but PonTel’s library is a goldmine for hoops junkies.

NBA VHS Tape Collection

I’m glad I’ve been able to hold onto my collection. Not just because of the money I spent on tapes and DVDs over the years, though that certainly is a reason. When I open up those drawers and see all those PonTel cases, it takes me back in much the same way as when I browse my basketball video game collection. I remember the excitement of seeing them add new classic games, and the delight of my orders being delivered. I remember eagerly watching the games, especially those that I was seeing for the first time. Of course, it also makes me wish that the NBA would offer a service like the WWE Network, with documentaries and old games available on demand.

There are quite a few YouTube channels dedicated to uploading old games, and to their credit, the NBA does let a lot of them slide (at least for now). I appreciate the efforts of those YouTubers, but there was something special about getting those games from PonTel. The cost can certainly add up if you’re a serious collector, and again, my library of tapes and DVDs were amassed over a few years, and aided by birthday and Christmas gifts. Perhaps as much as anything else, with a lack of NBA home media these days and League Pass being light on historical content, I’m a bit nostalgic for a time when I could really indulge my passion beyond video games.

Again, I’m not getting anything in return for talking about PonTel, but if they do distribute to your part of the world and you feel like picking up some memorable games, I’d highly recommend them. It’s been a long time since I ordered anything from them, but I was always impressed by their prices and great service. At a glance, their selection is still as good as ever. As for me, I’m probably due to dig out some tapes and DVDs, hook up my VCR/DVD combo, and lose myself in some classic basketball memories. YouTube is a convenient option, but those old tapes and DVDs are just nostalgia upon nostalgia. As you know, I love those trips down memory lane.

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November 17, 2021 4:56 pm

Great article mate and a well deserved shout-out to pontel too, nothing can beat the feeling to hearing the post man putting the mail through the door and hearing that sound of a vhs tape hitting the ground you instantly knew what it was and knew that your next 5-6 hours was now taken up