LOOK OUT BELOW! Let’s Check Out Some of the Dopest Backboard Shattering Moments in Basketball Video Game History

There is nothing more dangerous, exciting, and visceral than seeing a player dunk and shatter the backboard. It’s a rare occurrence now because the technology has caught up to the ferocity of the slam but there was a time where Darryl Dawkins could pull the house down on any given night.

Let’s Reminisce back to a time when Jordan went over seas to ruin some foreign backboards, Shaq forced the NBA to change how the hoops were made, and wearing rec specs was the only safe way to play. Video games have tried to capture these “duck and cover” moments throughout the years and here are some of the coolest backboard shattering dunks I could find!

One on One Basketball (Atari 7800)- You can sky high with Dr. J or Larry Legend and tear the hoop to pieces. I love how the glass shatters and falls down as a perfect square when you break it.

Arch Rivals (Sega Genesis)- This is a more subdued glass shattering, but what’s awesome about it is the effect last the entire game. They weren’t buying new backboards in Arch Rivals mid game.

NBA Jam (Arcade/Home Ports)- The Original NBA Jam has, in my expert opinion, the best glass shattering yams gaming has to offer. You can feel the build up as you dunk all game then finally in the 4th quarter the backboard just gives up on life and everybody in the vicinity of the massacre stumbles to the ground. Epic.

NBA Jam (Nintendo Wii)- The 2010 revival of NBA Jam brought with it unique game modes. One of them was to see who can shatter the backboard first and win the game. The dedication to the craft here is unmatched.

NBA Ballers (Sony Playstation 2)- NBA Ballers was an arcade style basketball game that has aged like a fine milk BUT you could BRING DOWN THE HOUSE. Bringing down the house meant that the game was over. Hoop is down, you win. It’s the nuclear option and it looks exactly like when Shaq was ending NBA games pulling down the entire arena.

These are just a few examples of when games gave us the ability to live out our Dr. Dunkenstein dreams. If you have any fond memories of bringing down the house at the arcade or in any rim rattling adventures that weren’t mentioned here, let me know in the comments!