He's On Fire! Chicago Arts Organizations Celebrate NBA Jam's 25th Anniversary

WDCB's Gary Zidek visits a new NBA Jam-inspired art exhibition that just opened in Chicago and talks to the voice of the iconic video game.

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WDCB's Gary Zidek visits a new art exhibit that celebrates NBA Jam's 25th anniversary.

"I mean, the game made a billion dollars in 1993, quarter by quarter. What that number reflects is, yeah, that was a cultural touchstone." - Jonathan Kinkley, VGA executive director.

Left to Right: Voice of NBA Jam Tim Kitzrow, VGA Gallery executive director Jonathan Kinkley, and All-Star Press founder/owner Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff

One of the most popular video games of all-time is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.  NBA JAM has a special connection to Chicago, because this is where it was born. The game was created and developed by Midway, a company that’s roots go all the way back to 1958. 

Now, Video Game Art Gallery and All-Star Press have come together to celebrate NBA Jam’s legacy with a new exhibition titled BOOMSHAKALAKA! NBA JAM’S 25th ANNIVERSARY.

The exhibit will feature pieces created by artists from Chicago and all over the world.

A number of the people involved with developing the original NBA Jam supported the new exhibit. Tim Kitzrow is the voice actor responsible for voicing the game's many memorable lines.

Voice actor TIm Kitzrow and WDCB's Gary Zidek

It was clear pretty early on that NBA JAM’s unique visual style and easy gameplay would make it a hit with gamers and NBA fans.  What few people could’ve predicted was, how the game’s sound bytes would cross over into pop culture.

Kitzrow has been working on some other NBA Jam-inspired projects, like these basketball shoes.

Visitors can celebrate the glory that was NBA Jam at All Star Press. The BOOMSHAKALAKA NBA JAM’S 25th Anniversary exhibit will be on display through September 3.

For more information about VGA Gallery click here

For more information about All-Star Press click here