NBA Jam East rosters revealed, legends included
"Mr. NBA 2K11" is still noticeably absent from NBA Jam's Eastern Conference roster, which does boast the likes of Bird, Dr. J and Jordan sidekick Scottie Pippen. Even Drazen Petrovic, who is said to haunt the original arcade game and was removed from console versions following his death in a car accident, has been resurrected as a Nets legend. Of course, the new NBA Jam will feature plenty of current players, including the Miami Thrice, when it's released next month for Wii and as a downloadable bonus with new copies of NBA Elite 11 for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Each team has 3–4 active players, as determined by fan voting (with the exception of Gilbert Arenas, who made the cut but was left out of the voting after that handgun fiasco), explains ESPN, which obtained the complete game roster -- the West's stars to be posted next week [update: West rosters]. Additionally, most teams have a "legend" or two -- or three for the Knicks: Ewing, LJ and Starks (hey, they need help!) -- on hand, with a preference for the original arcade's stars (sorry Zo!). Some teams don't have a long or storied enough history to feature a legend, in which case EA has added the team's mascot to the bench -- or in the Pacers' case (a contractual hiccup with Reggie Miller), there's simply ... Schrempf.
Some late summer trades also contribute to a few oddities in the final rosters, with Courtney Lee (now a Houston Rocket) still on the Nets and Al Harrington (now in Denver) still a Knick. It's unlikely the Wii version will be patched after release, and EA Sports community manager Alain Quinto recently confirmed (in response to the question) that it wouldn't feature online multiplayer either.
Head past the break for the full Eastern Conference breakdown.
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