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NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93)
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About NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93)
Arcade Video game published 33 years ago:
NBA Jam (c) 1993 Midway Mfg. Co.
Two-on-two basketball with digitized images of real NBA players, monster dunks and no referee - it's a blowout!
- TECHNICAL -
Midway T Unit hardware
Main CPU: TMS34010 (@ 6.25 Mhz) Sound CPU: Motorola M6809 (@ 2 Mhz) Sound Chips: Yamaha YM2151 (@ 3.57958 Mhz), DAC, OKI6295 (@ 8 Khz)
Players: 4 Control: 8-way joystick Buttons: 3
- TRIVIA -
Released in February 1993. Many critics claim that the release of NBA Jam gave rise to a new genre of sports games, which were based around action-packed, unrealistic game-play.
Midway Games, no stranger to releasing landmark games having released "Pac-Man", had started experimenting with the ideas two years earlier, with the "High Impact Football" series. Both High Impact and Super High Impact had somewhat average success in arcades. It was not until the release of NBA Jam that gamers noticed the new genre. The game became exceptionally popular, and generated a lot of money for arcades after its release, largely because of the fairly expensive prices put on these games; a game quarter generally took two credits and a full game generally took eight, typically equal to $2.00 USD. Nonetheless, the game was a smash hit.
Player layout in our catalog: 4P sim.
If you are exploring by feel rather than by title, jump from the tags above into the matching genre rooms, or return to the Arcade hall for the full wall.
Open Play on this page to start NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93). Keyboard, USB/Bluetooth pads, and the on-screen touch gamepad all work inside the emulator bar. Save states and fullscreen live on that same bar so you can pause mid-session and resume later.
NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93) — play guide
What NBA Jam wants from you
NBA Jam (Midway) is two-on-two arcade basketball with turbo, dunks, and on-fire streaks under loud commentary that will cheer a stupid brick. Half-court bricks forever lose to teams that pass once into the paint. Turbo is a resource—holding it forever leaves you stuck on defense when you need a stop. Shot selection and turbo honesty decide the match more than dunk tourism into triple-teams. Treat Jam as Midway sports literacy: paint first, juice second, highlights third—noise is not a strategy.
First minutes in NBA Jam
Learn shoot timing near the paint before inventing threes from the logo that feel like attract mode and still miss. Pass to reset a set defense instead of forcing a contested hero shot every possession. Spend turbo in bursts for dunks or defensive closes—not as a hold-forever button that empties at midcourt. On-fire rewards makes; do not invent hero-ball turnovers to chase the streak while the scoreboard laughs. Agree practice versus pride with a rival so turbo grief does not distort learning on credit one when you are still timing layups.
Core systems in NBA Jam
Turbo meters, on-fire streaks, dunks and blocks, push toys as mapped, and the roster define NBA Jam. Juice without a plan empties at the wrong end of the floor when you need a steal. Continues fund roster familiarity; they do not fix paint-avoidance or pass refusal. Two-player rivalry amplifies dunk addiction—resist until fundamentals hold under the commentary noise. Shot clocks and possession rules still punish tourism even when the announcer sounds impressed by your failed alley-oop.
Score, continues, and resources in NBA Jam
Match wins beat dunk-only tourism that fills the highlight reel and empties the scoreboard. Continues while paint-first habits form; cut them once turbo bankruptcy and hero-ball turnovers stop ending halves. Scoreboard honesty over dunk contests every time. Extends follow score when present—clean halves beat farming tip-off forever for empty juice lessons that still lose by twenty.
Mistakes that burn credits in NBA Jam
Only threes, never passing, turbo held forever, ignoring on-fire management, and dunking into triple-teams are classic NBA Jam mistakes. Paint first, pass second, burst turbo third, then fancy finishes when the lane is honest. The commentary will cheer a dunk that still loses the game—do not confuse noise with strategy. Chasing on-fire with turnovers is how Midway teaches humility under a smile.
Next steps after NBA Jam
NBA Jam Tournament Edition expands the roster toys with the same juice gospel if you want more faces under identical turbo honesty. Open Ice is Midway hockey with similar resource discipline on skates when you want a change of sport. Punk Shot is Konami hoops if you want another company’s arcade basketball pace after Jam’s paint lessons stick and you need a new referee for bad shot selection.
Sources cited below under Further reading.
Cabinet dossier
NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93) is filed in our catalog as a 1993 release.
Player layout on this cabinet: 4P sim.
Genre tags on Classic Arcade Games: Sports.
Credit line lists Midway as developer.
Screenshots
Next cabinets
Nearby cabinets you may also open from this hall (each on its own play page):NBA Hangtime (ver L1.3 10/10/96), NBA Jam Extreme, NBA Jam TE (rev 4.0 3/23/94), Super High Impact (rev LA1 09/30/91), WWF: Wrestlemania (rev 1.30 08/10/95), NFL Blitz (ver 1.21, Dec 5 1987), Bowling Alley, Double Play, Shuffleboard, Mortal Kombat (JAKKS Pacific TV Game), Judge Dredd (Rev C Dec. 17 1997), Judge Dredd (rev TA1 7/12/92, location test)
Explore more on this site
Same genre
NBA Hangtime (ver L1.3 10/10/96) · NBA Jam Extreme · NBA Jam TE (rev 4.0 3/23/94) · Super High Impact (rev LA1 09/30/91) · WWF: Wrestlemania (rev 1.30 08/10/95) · NFL Blitz (ver 1.21, Dec 5 1987) · Bowling Alley · Double Play · Shuffleboard · 2020 Super Baseball (set 1) · 9-Ball Shootout (set 1) · Arlington Horse Racing (v1.40-D)
Same studio
NBA Hangtime (ver L1.3 10/10/96) · Super High Impact (rev LA1 09/30/91) · WWF: Wrestlemania (rev 1.30 08/10/95) · NFL Blitz (ver 1.21, Dec 5 1987) · Bowling Alley · Double Play · Shuffleboard · Mortal Kombat (JAKKS Pacific TV Game) · Judge Dredd (Rev C Dec. 17 1997) · Judge Dredd (rev TA1 7/12/92, location test) · Mortal Kombat (rev 5.0 T-Unit 03/19/93) · Mortal Kombat II (rev L3.1)
How to play NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93) online
- Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start.
- USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
- On phones, open the on-screen pad from the emulator bar; rotate sits next to fullscreen.
- Save states, load, volume, and fullscreen stay on the emulator bar between credits.
Studio notes — Midway
Midway appears on this cabinet’s credit line. Browse more titles from the same studio on the developer shelf, or stay on this page and try the next cabinets in the same hall.
NBA Hangtime (ver L1.3 10/10/96) · Super High Impact (rev LA1 09/30/91) · WWF: Wrestlemania (rev 1.30 08/10/95) · NFL Blitz (ver 1.21, Dec 5 1987) · Bowling Alley · Double Play · Shuffleboard · Mortal Kombat (JAKKS Pacific TV Game)
Questions about NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93)
Can I play NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93) free in a browser?
Yes. Classic Arcade Games hosts NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93) as a Arcade cabinet you can start on this page. The emulator loads in the browser; you do not need to install a separate app.
What controls does NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93) support?
Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start. USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
Are there other games in the same series as NBA Jam (rev 3.01 4/07/93)?
Yes — related series cabinets on this site include NBA Hangtime (ver L1.3 10/10/96), NBA Jam Extreme, NBA Jam TE (rev 4.0 3/23/94). Each has its own play page with the same browser emulator path.
Further reading
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