Skip to content
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • PodBean
  • Subscribe To The My Pal Sammy Newsletter
  • ABOUT
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

My Summer Lair

Think NPR's Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: My Summer Lair with host Sammy Younan: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.

  • Home
  • Podcast
    • My Summer Lair
    • Space Station Oddity
  • Set The VCR
  • New Book Alert
  • True Sammy Stories
  • Toggle search form
Reyan Ali (NBA Jam) and Sammy Younan in My Summer Lair

Under-Review: NBA Jam

Posted on March 31, 2020August 13, 2023 By Sammy Younan No Comments on Under-Review: NBA Jam

NBA Jam
by Reyan Ali
Published by Boss Fight Books on October 22, 2019
NBA // Non-Fiction // Video Games


What’s the statute of limitations on coin fishing?

Nothing I did per say but I sure benefited from it. Back in the days of my reckless youth there was a quick stop convenience store, a kind of Kwik-E-Mart behind our high school. They had an Indiana Jones pinball machine which is still one of the greatest pinball machines of all time and they had NBA Jam along with Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II.

In hindsight I probably violated a number of loitering rules as well. Somebody in our gang…it felt like a gang—we were a bunch of loud sarcastic punks; I mean we couldn’t be cool if we went out on a Fall day without a jacket—had the X-Men mutant ability to coin fish.

This is when you tape a long string to a quarter or loop a string through a small hole in the quarter. You lower the quarter into the slot ever so gently like all an black dressed Tom Cruise in that first Mission Impossible movie…don’t make a sound. And in the slot that receives the quarter you deftly flick up your wrist to dunk the quarter like a chicken nugget in bbq sauce. You do this enough times you can fool the machine into 50 free plays for the price of 1 quarter. That’s a good deal. Ah how simple the 90s seemed.

In My Summer Lair interview with Reyan Ali he brings up a crucial point. NBA Jam instantly sparks warm nostalgic good vibrations. It’s associated with good time and friendship and hanging out and most importantly 90s NBA.

All the interviews in NBA Jam―Reyan Ali’s book on the classic arcade game from Boss Fight Books―from Shaq to DJ Jazzy Jeff to the design team at Midway offer an unvarnished authenticity and an infectious passion for the game.

Really short of having The Wonder Years narrator It is hard to articulate in any sort of meaningful way just how profound and incredible 90s NBA is and was and will always be.

1990’s NBA was defined by sound. Marv Albert exclaiming: “a spectacular move by Michael Jordan!” in 1991. John Tesh’s transcendent NBA anthem Roundball Rock. The Alan Parsons Project song Sirius. Finally just as important as all of them is Tim Kitzrow the scornful voice of NBA Jam who gave us the ability to articulate so much of what we were seeing on games broadcast on NBC.

“He’s on fire!” “The nail in the coffin.” “Boom Shakalaka!!” and so many more comical and handy expressions that neatly fit into real life. (Honestly? These are not phrases so much as free time machines to take us back to a glorious period of the NBA.)

On page 5 of NBA Jam Reyan writes: “Their arrival produced zero fanfare. No one really cared or understood who made arcade games. Customers were only interested in the games themselves, and they were eager to try NBA Jam.” He’s writing about the Midway Team who designed NBA Jam testing out the game at an arcade in Chicago. (The game came out in 1993…Midway designers were watching Jordan’s unparalleled greatness so I don’t doubt they were inspired.)

Reyan Ali is correct: I like the general public don’t know where Mortal Kombat came from or how Street Fighter versus Marvel happened. But as you begin to read the book he spent 4 years researching the stories are captivating because the characters are compelling.

Thankfully the seven designers at Midway made significant and critical decisions along the way…for example did you know that Big Head Mode was going to be the game’s default mode? That would have never worked.

Often some of our best pop culture was created and designed with little understanding of how they would impact our lives and stir our imaginations. Stan Lee had no way of knowing just how big Spider-Man or the X-Men would become. With Kirby and Ditko he designed and release them into the world and hoped for the best. They were the best.

NBA Jam is a wonderfully dense biography covering a variety of topics.
Do you have any NBA Jam feelings? Read this book.

Do you have a lot of 90s NBA and Michael Jordan feelings? Read this book.

Want to learn about the video game business…maybe you got video game feelings? Read this book.

Do you miss arcades with all their noise and optimism and friendships? Yes. Read this book.

I appreciate the way back playback and that a core element of the 90s was recognized and in a way enshrined via this NBA Jam book. I dunno if they’ll make NBA Jam games in the future; perhaps it’s good to leave it the way it is. Hard to imagine future editions will go Kaboom!

Even the traditional positions point guard shooting guard small forward power forward center have evolved into point forward or wings. The only constant is change.

-28-

Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.

Stress free pop culture tastefully harvested for your divine delight. Once a week a carefully curated edition of My Pal Sammy goes directly to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter because the F in FOMO doesn’t stand for Fun.

Books, NBA, New Book Alert Tags:Michael Jordan, My Summer Lair, NBA, NBA Jam, New Book Alert, Reading is FUNdamental, Reyan Ali, Video Games

Post navigation

Previous Post: New Book Alert: February 17-21, 2020
Next Post: New Book Alert: April 6-10, 2020

More Related Articles

NBA’s Christmas Day Garbage Time - NBA
New Book Alert: February 17-21, 2020 New Book Alert
New Book Alert: April 20-24, 2020 New Book Alert
Masai’s Mess Garbage Time - NBA
Jordan Ain’t No Joke Episode 5 (The Last Dance Podcast) Garbage Time - NBA
Jordan Ain’t No Joke Episode 4 (The Last Dance Podcast) Garbage Time - NBA

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • #SetTheVCR: September 18-24, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    For this week's TV recommendations we got a Superpower, Super Models, a Saint and Saving people. That's right it's #SetTheVCR where this weekend we check into The Continental for a 3 night stay.
  • #SetTheVCR: September 11-17, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    This week's #SetTheVCR is Based on a True Story. Lots of TV recommendations that'll guide you through the Wilderness but do look out for a sudden Swarm or even a comedic Wolf.
  • #CouchWorthy: August 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    A terrific TV recap of August 2023. Here some August TV highlights that are #CouchWorthy. Maybe you missed em or didn’t hear about em. Sweet Sammy Suggestions for August 2023…
  • #SetTheVCR: September 4-10, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    This week's #SetTheVCR is a Rogues' Gallery of thieves, creeps, killers and criminals. Oh and lots of Star Trek to balance out all the dark TV recommendations.
  • #SetTheVCR: August 28-September 3, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    RoboCop and a Wanted fugitive. Choose Love because it's time to #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: August 21-27, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Flash forward and see yourself enjoying these TV recommendations with your Vacation Friends: It's #SetTheVCR!
  • #SetTheVCR: August 14-20, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Take Shelter from the Summer heat with these Untold TV Recommendations: from Elvis to Tracy Morgan this week's #SetTheVCR is Killing It.
  • #SetTheVCR: August 7-13, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    You maybe Summering but with this #SetTheVCR post is All Up In The Biz of TV recommendations. Only Murders In The Building returns so we should kick off this TV week with a Clue.
  • #SetTheVCR: July 31-August 6, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Welcome to the Paradise of TV Recommendations: this week's #SetTheVCR is bursting with blockbusters and concludes with a Lollapalooza livestream. Not bad for the dog days of Summer.
  • #SetTheVCR: July 24-30, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Need some TV recommendations while you laze by the pool and enjoy the Summer? From Good Omens to Twisted Metal…this week's #SetTheVCR has TV covered from Soup to Nuts.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: DCEU Is Pee-Ew | Batgirl vs HBO MaxAugust 5, 2022
    Sammy & Rob Gaudette discuss and review the status of the DCEU following the cancellation of Batgirl on HBO Max. Rob still has hope.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: Contact Photography Festival 2022 | Culture SnapMay 12, 2022
    Sammy is joined by photographer Henry VanderSpek aka Culture Snap to discuss and recommend a happy handful of Contact Photography Festival exhibitions.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: A Taylor Hawkins MemorialMarch 28, 2022
    Sammy & Stephanie discuss the shocking and sad passing of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins on March 25, 2022.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: All The Batmans | Keaton To Nipples to BatfleckMarch 10, 2022
    Sammy & Stephanie discuss All The Batmans: from Michael Keaton to Ben Affleck.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: 2021 Induction Ceremony | Rock & Roll Hall of FameNovember 25, 2021
    Sammy & Stephanie discuss their happy highlights from the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

  • Yaron Weitzman (Tanking to the Top) and Sammy Younan in My Summer Lair 148
    Under-Review: Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers
    by Sammy Younan
    My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan reviews Yaron Weitzman's Tanking to the Top. Trust The Process of The Philadelphia 76ers?
  • New Book Alert: January 10-14, 2022
    by Sammy Younan
    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.
  • New Book Alert: January 3-7, 2022
    by Sammy Younan
    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.
  • New Book Alert: November 8-12, 2021
    by Sammy Younan
    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.
  • New Book Alert: November 1-5, 2021
    by Sammy Younan
    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.

Copyright © 2023 My Summer Lair.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme