A fiery basketball? Yep, this is NBA Jam box art

I hope you’re sitting down, because we have the cover art for NBA Jam, courtesy of Twitter. This is the biggest story of the day, no question. My criteria — “is there a basketball on fire?” — has been met. You win this round, EA Sports.

Out of seemingly nowhere, my family and I have been getting back into the Nintendo 64 version of NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC, a game very much in tune with NBA Jam. It’s got the same out-of-control vibe, so yes, we always play as mascots, and we always go for half-court shots — and often make them, too — as the countdown dips below the one-second-left mark.

We’re not normally a competitive bunch, but when it comes to this game, for some insane reason I have yet to fully grasp, sh*t gets real. My hope is that this revival of NBA Jam will foster these same feelings.