Who was the best player in NBA history? Lebron, Jordan, Kobe... no try Tom Chambers

With the NBA Finals getting started, it serves as a reminder to me of some of the old basketball titles that graced the early gaming consoles.  While there were some fun titles early on in the NES library for basketball fans, they were also rather generic and bland.  Eventually NBA Jam came to the arcades. While that game was a blast to play, it was a crazy 2 on 2 arcade style game that didn't really speak to a true basketball purist.

The Sega Genesis was the first console to make a legitimate attempt at creating a true NBA experience.  It did an updated version of 1989's PC game, Lakers vs Celtics and the NBA Playoffs.  Now the game did have it's shortcomings.  It only featured 8 NBA teams and 2 All-Star teams.  There was no season mode, so your only real option was to take a team and start in the Conference Semi-Final round of the playoffs with one of the teams they had available.

The real treat of the game was the actual gameplay.  It was a true 5 on 5 game with real rules, and no one jumping 30 feet in the air with the ball on fire. The coolest feature was that star players could perform signature moves if performed in certain areas of the court.  Michael Jordan had his air reverse, Clyde Drexler did his glide, Charles Barkley did a gorilla dunk.  While those were great, nothing was more brutal than Tom Chambers' triple pump slam.

Tom Chambers in his prime with the Phoenix Suns

While not nearly as respected as a Jordan or Barkley, Tom Chambers wasn't a slouch.  A 6' 10" power forward, Chambers was a 4 time All-star and has his jersey number retired by the Phoenix Suns.  He was an above average shooter for his size, and known for unleashing some powerful dunks from time to time.  However I have never seen him pull off the triple pump slam from just inside the 3 point line.

This was just after jumping nearly 20 feet and pumping the ball three times in mid-air

And that was the issue with Lakers vs Celtics, that move was just to easy to pull off.  Most of the other signature moves were much more difficult to pull off.  To pull off a move in the game you needed to shoot with the player on the correct area of the court.  Most required being somewhat close to the basket, but Chambers' signature dunk started just inside the three point line.

The only way to stop it was drawing a charging foul, but that was difficult to do consistently.  It was a fun way to trick a new player.  You could tell them they could have Jordan and the Bulls, while you play with the lowly Suns... then destroy them.

There were a few sequels to the game.  Bulls vs Lakers and Bulls vs Blazers.  Those were significant because they were among the first games to replace in game music, with in game commentary.  Giving those games a more realistic feel.  EA also did a similar game featuring the 1992 "Dream Team" playing internationally.