This page details one or more prototype versions of NBA Jam (Genesis).
This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.
A prototype of the Genesis version of NBA Jam, dated April 1993 (roughly a year before the game's release) in the header.
General Differences
- There are no copyright or company logo screens, with the game booting straight to the title screen.
- There is no audio whatsoever in this build.
- The high score and starring screens, as well as the gameplay demos, do not exist.
- Tom Gugliotta, Christian Laettner, and Dikembe Mutombo's last names are misspelled "Gugliotti", "Laetner", and "Mutumbo", respectively. These were fixed in the final.
- The game cannot be paused.
- You are prompted to enter a password after entering your initials. This doesn't happen in the final.
- There do not appear to be any secret players or Tonight's Matchup screen cheats.
Title Screen
| Prototype |
Final |
|---|
 |
 |
- The title screen is overall darker.
- Acclaim's logo is on the top instead of the bottom, and there is no Midway logo at all.
- The pattern of the floor is different.
Main Menu
| Prototype |
Final |
|---|
 |
 |
- Head to Head and Team Game are named One/Two Player and Two Player Team, respectively.
- There is no options menu.
Team Selection
| Prototype |
Final |
|---|
 |
 |
- In the prototype, the player portraits for the left team are on a teal background, and the player portraits for the right team are on a purple background. This was swapped in the final.
- In the final, number(s) denoting which player is being controlled with which controller is located under each player's portrait. This is absent in the prototype.
- In the prototype, blank stat gauges are seen before the opposing team is selected. These were removed in the final.
- In the prototype, pressing A swaps the players, pressing B or C starts the game, and pressing Start does nothing. In the final, pressing A, B, or C swaps the players, and pressing Start starts the game.
Team Differences
| Prototype |
Final |
|---|
 |
 |
- Like the SNES prototype, Derrick McKey is on the Seattle SuperSonics and Detlef Schrempf is on the Indiana Pacers. This is swapped in the final as they were traded for each other that offseason.
| Prototype |
Final |
|---|
 |
 |
- The Boston Celtics' roster is the same in the prototype as it is in the final version, but Dee Brown erroneously has Reggie Lewis's name, who held his spot in the original Arcade version. This was corrected in the final version. The presence of Dee Brown's portrait in this version proves that the roster change from the Arcade version to the Genesis version was made prior to Lewis's passing the following summer.
Graphical Differences
| Prototype |
Final |
|---|
 |
 |
- Jim Jackson and Alonzo Mourning's portraits are mistakenly swapped in the prototype. This was fixed in the final.
Team Logos
A few team logos are different. Aside from the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks (who debuted new logos in real life by the start of the next season), these changes appear to have been made so that the logos are more legible, at the expense of being more accurate to the Arcade version.
| Team |
Prototype |
Final
|
| Boston Celtics |
 |
|
| Dallas Mavericks |
 |
|
| Denver Nuggets |
 |
|
| Detroit Pistons |
 |
|
| Milwaukee Bucks |
 |
|
| Portland Trail Blazers |
 |
|
| San Antonio Spurs |
 |
|
| Utah Jazz |
 |
|
Player Portraits
A few player portraits are also different, mainly the uniforms.
| Player |
Prototype |
Final |
Notes
|
| Nick Anderson |
 |
 |
It is unknown why he has a different uniform in the prototype, as he had only played for the Orlando Magic to that point in his career.
|
| Jim Jackson |
 |
 |
Mistakenly used as Alonzo Mourning's portrait in the prototype, as noted above. Unlike the other portraits, his face was touched up.
|
| Brad Lohaus |
 |
 |
Slightly darker in the final.
|
| Danny Manning |
 |
 |
Jersey was redrawn slightly to be more accurate to his Arcade portrait.
|
| Derrick McKey |
 |
 |
Was traded for Detlef Schrempf during development, as noted above. Shoulder is cut off in the prototype.
|
| Detlef Schrempf |
 |
 |
Was traded for Derrick McKey during development, as noted above.
|
| Rony Seikaly |
 |
 |
Slightly darker in the final.
|
In-Game Player Appearances
During gameplay, instead of players resembling their actual likenesses, Players 1 and 3 will always be a light-skinned, blonde-haired person (like Brad Lohaus in the final version), while Players 2 and 4 will always be a dark-skinned person with a black-flat top hairstyle (like Patrick Ewing in the final version). Additionally, no players have visible height differences--all of them use the larger body. These are likely placeholders.
