NBA Jam Announcer Underpaid for Iconic Role

NBA Jam is one of the most well-known basketball video games since its arcade release in 1993. The game went on to sell millions of copies and was ported to various consoles and PCs. However, Tim Kitzrow, the beloved announcer for the over-the-top basketball game, barely saw a penny, being paid about $800 for recording the game’s most iconic lines.

During an interview with The Escapist, Tim Kitzrow detailed his history as a band member, a pinball announcer (for games based on Gilligan’s Island, The Twilight Zone and Judge Dredd) and an improv actor along with actors and comedians like Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell. The NBA Jam role came naturally, but the money Kitzrow missed out on was the result of the sentiment that video games weren’t taken seriously, with some telling him he should be lucky he was paid at all.

The Origin of NBA Jam’s “Boomshakalaka”

More surprisingly, the iconic phrase “boomshakalaka” was based on John Carlton, a developer at Midway. Carlton misheard the lyrics to “I Want to Take You Higher” by Sly & The Family Stone. The actual lyrics went “boom shaka-laka-laka, boom shaka-laka-laka.” Carlton got Kitzrow to say “boomshakalaka” during recording, and the rest became gaming history.

Currently, the NBA Jam announcer is working on an “Adult Swim”-inspired sports game called Mutant Football League. Kitzrow said, “If you just watch Mutant Football League, it’s that crazy late-night Adult Swim cartoon. It’s fun to watch because there’s so much happening. It’s colourful, it’s loud, it’s verbose – so much to entertain you just by taking in the visuals and audio. You don’t have to play.”

Mutant Football League 2

Mutant Football League’s sequel, Mutant Football League 2, is set to launch on December 10 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S. Mutant Football League 2 is currently on Steam Early Access. Kitzrow is working with legendary game creator Michael Mendheim and rapper Lil’ Flip to make the game stand out from the likes of Madden or 2K.

As for NBA Jam, the game had several rereleases on various platforms. The series went on to get installments from Acclaim Entertainment and EA, on top of the releases published by Midway. The game had reboots in 2003 and 2010, with Kitzrow returning as the announcer.