‘Boomshakalaka’: The iconic voice of NBA Jam was paid only $800, while the game soared past $1 billion in revenue

Tim Kitzrow, the renowned voice of such phrases as “boomshakalaka” and “he’s on fire,” spoke with The Escapist about how he has no memory of knowing that NBA Jam would become an enormous success when he recorded the voice for the game.

Kitzrow had previously worked on voiceovers for pinball games at WMS Industries, including those for Gilligan’s Island and The Twilight Zone. For these projects, Kitzrow earned somewhere between $300-$500 for each job. Sport game projects were compensated at a similar level, earning approximately $50/hour over a combined 15-hour period for his work on NBA Jam.

It was only later, Kitzrow said, that he came to know that the franchise had generated over a billion dollars but that his total earnings were approximately $800; he jokingly added, “I think it’s time to increase my rates.”

Even so, Kitzrow continued to do voiceover work for other games, including those for NBA Jam Tournament Edition, NFL Blitz, as well as the recent EA/NBA Jam reboot and, most recently, the new Mutant Football League 2 which was developed by his former show and co-star.

In addition, Kitzrow revealed that the trademark “boomshakalaka” phrase came from an improvisational performance of a line from the Sly & The Family Stone song, I Want To Take You Higher, transforming a seemingly random lyric into a classic gaming catchphrase.