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NBA Jam (Nike Zoom EA Sports KD III bundle)

XBOX 360
NBA Jam (Nike Zoom EA Sports KD III bundle)
EA Sports2/18/2011Americas

Only 140 of these exist on the planet, and they came bundled with sneakers. The NBA Jam Nike Zoom EA Sports KD III bundle on Xbox 360 is one of the most unusual collector's items in gaming history. The game itself is a standard copy of NBA Jam with one critical difference: alternative cover art featuring Kevin Durant, housed in an unsealed case because the covers were hand-swapped from standard editions.

The backstory makes it even better. EA originally planned to release NBA Elite 11 with KD on the cover alongside branded shoes. When Elite 11 got canceled, they pivoted, rebranding the kicks as "Nike Zoom EA Sports KD III" and pairing them with NBA Jam instead.

Each bundle also included a "Nike Kevin Durant Los Fearless" booklet and poster. All 140 units were sold exclusively through the Niketown store in Santa Monica, California, with a wristband system to manage the inevitable demand. The wristbands didn't even guarantee a pair.

This is where sneaker culture and game collecting collide in the most beautifully chaotic way possible. The alternate cover, the hand-assembled nature of each copy, the canceled game origin story, the 140-unit production run. Every detail makes this more collectible.

If you ever see one surface, you don't hesitate.