With less than a month to go before its release, ESPN has revealed the Eastern Conference roster for NBA Jam.  Not only do we now know which current players will represent the East, we also have a full list of the conference’s classic players that will appear in the game.

Each team has a standard roster that consists of three to four current players.  These players are supplemented by NBA legends; each team has between one and three legendary players, except for newer teams like the Raptors, Grizzlies, and Bobcats, which instead use their mascots.  Only one team, the Washington Wizards, includes a legend (Manute Bol) and the team’s mascot, and the Indiana Pacers, due to a contractual disagreement with Reggie Miller, has only one legend, Detlef Schrempf.  The list of legends is a strong one, including the likes of Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, and Patrick Ewing, and tends to favor those who appeared in previous versions of the game.  This explains the presence of players like Drazen Petrovic, who not only appeared in the original NBA Jam, but also appears to “haunt” the game due to a programming bug that causes the game to scream “PETROVIC!” for no good reason.

As a Philadelphia native and a long-suffering 76ers fan, I’m confused as to the absence of one Mr. Charles Barkley.  If Sir Charles had a contract issue, similar to Reggie Miller’s, that’s one thing, but if they put him on the Rockets or the Suns, I’ll be insulted.  We’ll find out next Tuesday, when the Western Conference rosters are announced.

 

NBA Jam Eastern Conference rosters

Atlanta Hawks

• Players: Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby
• Legends: Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb

Boston Celtics

• Players: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen
• Legends: Larry Bird and Kevin McHale

Charlotte Bobcats

• Players: Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson and Tyrus Thomas
• Mascot: Rufus Lynx

Chicago Bulls

• Players: Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer
• Legends: Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Players: Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao
• Legends: Mark Price and Brad Daugherty

Detroit Pistons

• Players: Richard Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon
• Legends: Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer

Indiana Pacers

• Players: Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy and T.J. Ford
• Legend: Detlef Schrempf

Miami Heat

• Players: Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh
• Legends: Glen Rice and Rony Seikaly

Milwaukee Bucks

• Players: Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut, Brandon Jennings and Corey Maggette
• Mascot: Bango The Buck

New Jersey Nets

• Players: Devin Harris, Brook Lopez and Courtney Lee
• Legends: Kenny Anderson and Drazen Petrovic

New York Knicks

• Players: Al Harrington, Danilo Gallinari and Amare Stoudemire
• Legends: Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson and John Starks

Orlando Magic

• Players: Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis
• Legends: Nick Anderson and Scott Skiles

Philadelphia 76ers

• Players: Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand and Evan Turner
• Legends: Julius Erving and Allen Iverson

Toronto Raptors

• Players: DeMar DeRozan, Jarrett Jack and Andrea Bargnani
• Mascot: The Raptor

Washington Wizards

• Players: Yi Jianlian, Andray Blatche, Gilbert Arenas and John Wall
• Legend: Manute Bol
• Mascot: G-Wiz