NBA Jam - Popular Culture

Popular Culture

In certain subcultures, the phrases "He's heating up", "He's on fire" and "Boomshakalaka!" have been identified with NBA Jam. The phrases, as in the game, are used to (self) describe someone doing something successfully twice or thrice respectively, as the original expression was used for any player who scored three baskets in a row. He would be "on fire", as he then started tossing/dunking a flaming ball to the basket, burning its net in the process. The NBA Jam script was written solely by Jon Hey.

NBA Jam also incorporated a slogan from Spike Lee's alter-ego in his 1986 film She's Gotta Have It, Mars Blackmon, who was also featured in a Nike basketball shoe television commercial at the time. The NBA Jam commentator asked, "Is it the shoes?" after a player performed spectacularly.

The announcer was modeled on Marv Albert and other announcers although there is no mention of Albert in the game and was voiced by Tim Kitzrow.

The upbeat, funky music written by Jon Hey was inspired by sports music themes and has been compared to George Clinton's P-Funk All Stars. Funkadelic's 1979 "(Not Just) Knee Deep" shares the most similarity with the music of NBA Jam but was recorded more than a decade before NBA Jam's music was written. The likeness of George Clinton was used as the character "P. Funk" in the console versions of NBA Jam: Tournament Edition.

In July 2009, Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon revealed (on Twitter) that a Mortal Kombat court was to be hidden in a console port of NBA Jam or NBA Hangtime.

NBA Jam remains a constant form of entertainment for those whom grew up during the time of its proliferation. NBA Jam is often found in several pubs across the United States as a nostalgic reminder of one's childhood. At a bar in New Orleans, LA, an almost-riot broke out when one patron, Casey Madigan, destroyed the NBA Jam arcade game.