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NBA Jam on Twitch — competition and audience

Midway· 1993· Arcade · SNES · Genesis/MegaDrive · Sega CD
Sport

NBA Jam is a basketball arcade game published and developed by Midway in 1993. It is the first entry in the NBA Jam series. The main designer and programmer for this game was Mark Turmell. Midway had previously released such sports games as Arch Rivals in 1989, High Impact in 1990, and Super High Impact in 1991. The gameplay of NBA Jam is based on Arch Rivals, another 2-on-2 basketball video game. However, it was the release of NBA Jam that brought mainstream success to the genre. The game became exceptionally popular, and generated a significant amount of money for arcades after its release, creating revenue of $1 billion in quarters. In early 1994, the Amusement & Music Operators Association reported that NBA Jam had become the highest-earning arcade game of all time. The release of NBA Jam gave rise to a new genre of sports games which were based around fast, action-packed gameplay and exaggerated realism, a formula which Midway would also later apply to the sports of football (NFL Blitz), and hockey (2 on 2 Open Ice Challenge).

Trailer

What is NBA Jam about?

NBA Jam, which featured 2-on-2 basketball, is one of the first real playable basketball arcade games, and is also one of the first sports games to feature NBA-licensed teams and players, and their real digitized likenesses. A key feature of NBA Jam is the exaggerated nature of the play - players jump many times their own height, making slam dunks that defy both human capabilities and the laws of physics. There are no fouls, free throws, or violations except goaltending and 24-second violations. This means the player is able to freely shove or elbow his opponent out of the way. Additionally, if a player makes three baskets in a row, he becomes "on fire" and has unlimited turbo and increased shooting precision. The "on fire" mode continues until the other team scores, or until the player who is "on fire" scores 4 additional consecutive baskets while "on fire." The game is filled with easter eggs, special features and players activated by initials or button/joystick combinations. For example, pressing A five times and right five times on any Genesis controller would activate "Super Clean Floors". This feature would cause characters to fall if they ran too fast or changed direction too quickly. And players can enter special codes to unlock hidden players, ranging from US President Bill Clinton to Hugo the Charlotte Hornets mascot. On the arcade machine, there is also a hidden 'tank' game that allows the player to run around a 3D wireframe field. In order to access this mode, however, the player must be able to toggle the on/off switch located behind the machine. While the game was powering back on, the player holds Up and all buttons on player 1 and Down and all buttons on player 2.

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0Room for youClosed off
1Live streamers
1People watching
#1Your spot at 10 viewersof 2

Should I stream NBA Jam on Twitch?

0/100 · Closed off· 1 viewers per streamer on paper

Probably not. One stream holds 100% of the 1 people watching NBA Jam, leaving about 0 for everyone else — and the category empties when that streamer logs off.

One stream holds 100% of the 1 viewers here, leaving about 0 for everyone else. When they log off, the category empties.

Almost nobody here is available to you — either one stream holds the room, or the category is empty, or you would be buried.

This reads the room as it is right now — how much of the audience is reachable and where you would land — not how many followers you would gain. That depends on you.

Where to buy

All plain links straight to the official stores. Some will become affiliate links later, and they’ll be marked with a ♥ when they are — you’ll always be able to tell, and the unmarked ones will always be there.

How many people stream NBA Jam?

Right now

1 right now, to 1 viewer between them. Counted live from Twitch and refreshed every 15 minutes.

Is NBA Jam too saturated on Twitch?

Not crowded, but not open either. Only 1 person is streaming NBA Jam, and that single stream holds 100% of the 1 viewers — so the room is quiet because the audience is already committed, not because it is waiting for you.

Who you're up against

Biggest streams of 1 live right now

Is NBA Jam any good?

Players score it 75 out of 100 from 89 ratings, and critics 69 out of 100.

69Critics
75Players89 ratings

Streamer reviews

No reviews yet. Reviews answer what critics can't: does chat engage, can you talk while playing, is there DMCA-risky music, does it produce clips. Sign in and yours would be the first.

Details

Released
Dec 31, 1993 · 33 years ago
Time to finish
Playing on Steam
Price
Modes
Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
Perspective
Side view
Rated
ESRB E
Biggest stream
1 (100% of the category)
Typical stream
1 viewers (median)
Count accuracy
Exact — every live stream counted

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Updated Sep 7, 2026, 11:23 AM UTC