Key Takeaways
1. Tim Kitzrow, the voice of “Boomshakalaka” in NBA Jam, was paid only $800 for his work despite the game’s $1 billion revenue.
2. NBA Jam was a major success, selling over 20,000 arcade units and generating a total of $2 billion in earnings.
3. Kitzrow’s early voice acting career included low-paying jobs in games like The Twilight Zone and Popeye, making it hard to earn a living.
4. He was paid $50 an hour for about 15 hours of work on NBA Jam, without any royalties or backend agreements.
5. The iconic “Boomshakalaka” phrase was inspired by a coworker and transformed into a memorable part of gaming culture.
Some catchy phrases and clever sayings have made their way from video games into our daily conversations, and one famous example is “Boomshakalaka” from NBA Jam, the basketball arcade game that hit the scene in 1993. The voice behind that memorable phrase, Tim Kitzrow, recently shared that he was paid just $800 for his work as an announcer.
NBA Jam’s Success
NBA Jam, on the other hand, raked in over $1 billion in revenue from both arcade cabinets and home consoles. In an interview with The Escapist, Kitzrow, now 64, reflected on the game’s impact, saying, “When I found out it made a billion dollars, I realized I had only made $800 and thought maybe I should have gotten more for that. I thought, ‘I might be underpaid. I should probably increase my rate.’”
Early Career
Kitzrow started his journey in video game voice acting in the late ’80s and early ’90s, contributing his voice to games like The Twilight Zone, Gilligan’s Island, Judge Dredd, and Popeye. However, those voiceover jobs didn’t pay well.
He mentioned, “You might only work two, three, or four hours total on a pinball game and earn a few hundred bucks at most. You can’t really make a living that way.” His sharp humor and unique delivery eventually secured him the position of play-by-play announcer for Midway’s NBA Jam. Released in arcades in 1993, the game sold over 20,000 units and brought in $2 billion in total earnings. It was later adapted for consoles like the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis.
Payment Details
As for Kitzrow, he was paid $50 an hour, working around 15 hours across multiple sessions, treating it like any freelance job. He explained, “It was $50 an hour, just like the pinball games. I’d go in, do a few sessions, maybe total 15 hours, and that was it. I didn’t think to ask for more money considering how much these games made. I didn’t have an agent back then.”
With no royalties or backend arrangements, the chance for a big payday slipped away from him. Still, he held no resentment. He also shared how the famous Boomshakalaka line came to be.
A coworker, John Carlton, was singing the phrase “boomshakalaka” from the 1969 Sly and the Family Stone song “I Want to Take You Higher” and encouraged Kitzrow to use it in his basketball commentary. Kitzrow stated, “Being a basketball guy, I watched every game with Marv Albert. I had never heard ‘boomshakalaka’ before. I was confused, thinking, ‘What do you mean? That’s not a term used in basketball!’ He said, ‘Just say boomshakalaka like this.’ So I tried it: ‘boomshakalaka?’ And that was it.”
We basically transformed a silly phrase into one of the most unforgettable lines in gaming.
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