C’mon and Slam! Original Version of NBA Jam Still Exists?
Long-time fans of excellent SNES basketball games will know of the genre’s pinnacle, the venerable NBA Jam. Of lesser renown is the story behind the game’s original lineup.
Prior to the game’s release, Michael Jordan was slated to be in the game. This was back in 1993, mind you. Jordan was at the height of his powers and his inclusion in a game would guarantee it sold fabulously well. Unfortunately, a conflicting deal with Nike meant Jordan had to pull out mere weeks before it was released. The game was still a huge hit, eventually drawing the attention of athletes like Gary Payton and Ken Griffey Jr. They, along with Jordan, requested copies of NBA Jam with themselves programmed in. This means that Turmell might have a master copy tucked away, ready to be gifted to the world.
During a recent Reddit AMA, Mark Turmell alluded to this possibility that some of these custom EPROMs may still exist. Turmell even said he’d try to release this special version to the public, assuming there were no legal barriers to him doing so. Hopefully someday soon this rare, proper version of a SNES legend will see the light of day.
SOURCE: Polygon