The rumor mill is heating up this morning with a report from ESPN that a new NBA Jam title would be coming to the Wii this year. According to the sports media giant, EA has acquired the NBA Jam series and will be bringing a new game to retail in 2010, exclusively for the Wii. In case you're not familiar, the NBA Jam series delivered a fun, arcade-style basketball experience that didn't take itself too seriously, which I was a big fan of. It was first published by Midway, who have been circling the drain for years, and later by Acclaim, which went defunct a few years ago. It seemed unlikely that a new NBA Jam would ever be made, but if this rumor is to be believed, it's not that far away.

If this turns out to be true, I think it's a good move for EA. The yearly basketball games on the Wii can't compete with their 360 and PS3 counterparts, but a more accessible basketball game would be perfect. As long as the developers don't make the controls too gimmicky and sensitive, NBA Jam on the Wii has the potential to be great. We'll let you know if an official announcement happens.

[Source]