Wayback Wednesday: Michael Jordan in NBA Live 2004
This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at Michael Jordan in NBA Live 2004.
These days, we think of Visual Concepts as the company to bring Michael Jordan to the virtual hardwood. After all, he’s been available as a Legend since NBA 2K11, we’ve had two iterations of the Jordan Challenge, and he’s graced the cover of four editions of the game. However, long before NBA 2K was celebrating His Airness, he was closely associated with EA Sports. From licensing him for the NBA Playoffs series as he disappeared from other early 90s titles, to games such as Jordan vs. Bird, Michael Jordan in Flight and Chaos in the Windy City, it was EA who brought us MJ.
Of course, the last time that Michael Jordan made an official appearance in an EA Sports game was in NBA Live 2004. Indeed, until NBA 2K11, it marked the last time that he was officially featured in any video games. Needless to say, adding him to the Legends Pool and 90s All-Stars was an annual task for our modding community from NBA Live 2005 through NBA Live 08, so we were still able to play with him on PC. There was something special about official appearances though, especially given MJ’s absence from the virtual hardwood in the late 90s. Let’s take a look back…way back…
When Michael Jordan retired for the second (but not final) time as the lockout was drawing to a close in February 1999, basketball gamers figured that they’d never see him officially included in future titles. Although EA Sports had been able to feature him in their NBA Playoffs series right through to the Super Nintendo version of NBA Showdown, they were unable to license him following his comeback in 1995. As a result, Jordan was either a Roster Player or simply absent and replaced in the lineup, depending on the game. It was therefore a huge deal when EA Sports announced that they’d licensed His Airness to be a part of the roster of Legends in NBA Live 2000.
In addition to lending his name to the new 1-on-1 mode in NBA Live 2000, MJ was the only Legend to appear in the Nintendo 64 version. Appropriately, defeating him in 1-on-1 play was the method of unlocking him. It was ironic that EA finally managed to license His Airness again after he’d retired, but his inclusion and the retro content in general was definitely well-received. It was also something that other titles weren’t able to boast. NBA 2K1 featured its own take on the All-Decade teams, but Michael Jordan remained exclusive to NBA Live 2001. EA also included MJ in NBA Street and NBA Street Vol. 2, taking full advantage of their licensing agreement with him.
MJ’s comeback with the Wizards ended up providing other companies with some wiggle room as far as historical content. Because everyone was able to include him as a member of the active rosters this time around, other games found ways of featuring a Legends version of Michael Jordan. NBA 2K3 added him to the 80s East and the new 90s East squads, while NBA Inside Drive 2003 made a young version of MJ unlockable along with a handful of other stars from the 90s. When MJ retired again in 2003, he was no longer licensed to appear in those series. As EA still had a deal with him, NBA Live 2004 is the only 2004 season release that features Michael Jordan.
There are three versions of Michael Jordan available in NBA Live 2004. The prime version of His Airness appears on the 90s All-Stars and in the Legends Pool, while an elder version with lower ratings can be found on the East All-Stars. Interestingly, he’s on the East’s bench rather than starting. Although this is an accurate portrayal of the original lineups as per fan voting, Vince Carter did ultimately give up his spot, so MJ should actually be the starter. Obviously it’s an easy fix – and our roster updates for PC eventually replaced both All-Star teams with their 2004 lineups anyway – but it’s odd that the producers chose to reflect the voting rather than the change in the lineup.
Over the years, quite a few gamers have erroneously recalled Michael Jordan being in the Free Agents Pool in NBA Live 2004. However, if you fire up any version of the game and inspect the default rosters, he’s definitely not there. There are some feasible explanations for this false memory. The Legends Pool and Free Agents are accessed via the same menu, so some people have likely mixed them up. It’s also possible that people are recalling an error in a mod, including updates for NBA Live 2003 that left him in the Free Agents. On top of that, other retirees have remained in games as Free Agents, so there is a precedent here. It didn’t happen with Michael Jordan, though.
Although the historical versions of MJ had prime ratings while the version on the East All-Stars reflected his 2003 season, all three of them used the same cyberface. With the return of photo portraits – displayed during free throw attempts – they also shared the same headshot from his Wizards years. This was a little jarring to see whenever playing with the 90s All-Stars – or if he was signed to the Bulls, or anywhere else out of the Legends Pool – though outdated portraits weren’t uncommon for active players as well. Needless to say, it was something else that our modding community was able to fix on PC, as well as furnishing him with younger and other alternative cyberfaces.
The inclusion of Michael Jordan in NBA Live 2004, along with several other 90s stars and role players, definitely encouraged me to create my 1996 roster mod. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t have had any interest in a retro roster had MJ not been in the game; I’ve added him to the rosters of several NBA Live releases over the years! However, there was convenience and authenticity in having him readily available, such as PA Announcer and commentator audio. To that end, I’m glad that MJ was at least able to make one official appearance in a game that featured Marv Albert on commentary. It allowed us to finally combine his virtual highlights with Marv’s iconic call of “Yes!”
With MJ’s consistent appearance as a Legend from NBA Live 2000 through to NBA Live 2004, we began to treat to his inclusion in the series as a given. In doing so, we probably ended up taking it for granted. To that point, it was a disappointing surprise when attendees of the NBA Live 2005 community event reported back that MJ was no longer in the game. This would’ve come as unfortunate news anyway, but the fact that we couldn’t immediately have His Airness take on Dominique Wilkins in the new Slam Dunk Contest definitely stung! Once again, modding soon made that possible on PC complete with a proper face, but it wasn’t quite the same as an official appearance.
Over the next few years, we hoped that Michael Jordan would return to the selection of Legends in NBA Live. Unfortunately, not only did His Airness remain absent from the virtual hardwood, but as other all-time greats and stars of the 90s retired and their likeness rights expired, they likewise disappeared from the games. In fact, it wasn’t until I began working on a Missing Legends mod for NBA Live 06 PC based on the default roster that I remembered how thin the 90s All-Stars were by that point! Of course, that was still better than the Xbox 360 version, which not only dropped the Legends but also the retro jerseys. It was a huge misstep to begin a new generation.
EA losing the rights to include Michael Jordan in their games affected the NBA Street series as well. While there are certainly other aspects of NBA Street V3 that make it less popular than NBA Street Vol. 2, it undoubtedly lost a major selling point with MJ no longer being among the selection of Legends. As far as I’m aware, there’s never been an explanation as to why EA’s partnership with Michael Jordan ended. We can probably assume that expense was an issue, though if so, it was short-sighted given how Visual Concepts has capitalised on historical content since then. It’s also possible that MJ himself wasn’t interested as he traded in the hardwood for the owner’s suite.
As I’ve previously covered, it appears that EA Sports did intend to bring back MJ in NBA Live 08. Poking through the game’s players.dbf file, you’ll find placeholder data for ten classic teams, including the 1996 Chicago Bulls. The lack of art assets and the unpolished player data suggests that the idea was scrapped very early on. Considering that this data appears before the FIBA players in the roster file, and the inclusion of FIBA teams was by EA’s own admission a late addition to NBA Live 08, it’s possible that the FIBA content was Plan B after the historical teams fell through. The prospect of NBA Live 08 including MJ’s Bulls and other classic squads is a huge “What If”!
It’d definitely be interesting to get some concrete answers about that situation all these years later. As it stands though, it was 2K that brought His Airness back to the virtual hardwood, and the rest is history. Even if EA Sports hadn’t completely torpedoed their long-running basketball series with NBA Elite 11, the inclusion of MJ and the Jordan Challenge on top of NBA 2K11’s gameplay would’ve been stiff competition; even for an NBA Live 11 that played a lot like NBA Live 10. It’s yet another example of how NBA 2K has ultimately reaped the benefits of something that was once a key strength of NBA Live. Concepts such as MyNBA Eras have built upon retro content superbly.
Way back in 2003 however, NBA Live 2004 would become the last game to feature Michael Jordan for seven years. As such, even with everything that NBA 2K has done with retro content since then, NBA Live 2004 remains historically significant. While modes and gameplay are ultimately what make games classics, exclusive content and that one special feature we loved are what solidify them as our all-time favourites. The on-court experience and a memorable Dynasty already make it one of my most beloved hoops games, but NBA Live 2004 featuring the final official appearance of Michael Jordan in EA’s series is the extra ingredient that makes it truly special for me.
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