It has just been announced that NBA Jam—also known as the greatest sports video game of all time—will be revived on the Nintendo Wii. If you don't remember NBA Jam, then you obviously were not a child of the 90s. The original arcade version, which came out in 1993 and notched $1 billion over its incredible run, pitted two-man NBA teams against each other. Gameplay was very over-the-top and exaggerated. (And full of Easter Eggs—you play as Bill and Hillary Clinton if you knew the right cheat. This was very cool to me at the time.)
Anyway, this wonderful news, along with creative use of it by Luke Winn at SI.com, got me thinking: What would be the best two-man Duke teams over the past ten years?
Before answering this crucial question, let's take a look at what could be considered the great NBA Jam duos. John Starks and Patrick Ewing of the Knicks; Scott Skiles and Shaq of the Magic; Gary Payton and Shaun Kemp of the Sonics; and Dominique Wilkins and Stacey Augmon of the Hawks immediately come to mind.
What do these teams have in common? Aside from the Hawks-- who were dominant simply because of the estimated 397 dunks Wilkins and Augmon scored each game-- every great NBA Jam duo had a great 3-point shooter and a bruising rebounder. Those were the keys to a team guaranteed to be "ON FIRE!" This has been backed up by New York Magazine, which figures that the perfect player is Lebron James, a shooter who is also a bruising big man.
So, keeping this in mind, let's take a look at what Duke duos from the past ten years would make up the best NBA Jam teams.
(You will notice soon that I've put a lot of thought into this. Christmas break—where writing about NBA Jam for two hours happens!)
Best from 2000-2005: Jay Williams and Carlos Boozer
Williams would make for a great NBA Jam player. His prowess from long-range, coupled with deft passing and a keen ability to drive into the paint are all attributes of the prototypical Jam guard. Boozer might be a little too short to be a good big guy in the game, as the really tall players were at a premium-—for example, Shawn Bradley, aka the Stick, enjoyed a much better NBA Jam career than the real one. However, his rebounding prowess and bulk inside cannot be denied. His size alone gives him the nod over Shane Battier for the rights to team up with Jay Will.
Best from 2005-2009: J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams
There's not much else you can say about Redick's 3-point shooting—it's the best ever at Duke and possibly the best in NCAA history. He also was an adequate passer and had a decent ability to create his own shot, important for Jam. His lack of leaping ability is his only real downside: this would be a team that would hear the announcer say, "IS IT THE SHOES?!" a woeful number of times. Williams, on the other hand, would be responsible for an insane amount of blocks, the only part of defense that matters in the game, as well as any putbacks on J.J. misses.
Overall, this is a Jam juggernaut.
Best from Current Team: Jon Scheyer and Miles Plumlee
This is the best team from the current Duke roster. Scheyer is a natural fit because the game's catchphrase uttered by Tim Kitzrow, "HE'S ON FIRE!" could easily be changed to "SCHEYER'S ON FIRE!" And because he's a good passer and 3-point shooter. Miles may seem like an unorthodox pick, but he's the Blue Devils best rebounder and, right now at least, seems to be the only one on the team willing to mix it up down low—a crucial aspect of your NBA Jam big man. Plus, he fouls a lot, which doesn't matter in the no-fouling world of NBA Jam.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.