NBA Jam · Arcade / Various · 1993
NBA Jam contains secret playable characters including Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Prince Charles, and various Midway staff members, unlocked through specific initials and button combinations at the player entry screen.
Midway programmer Mark Turmell and his team populated NBA Jam's hidden character roster with political figures, celebrities, and internal Midway staff. Bill Clinton and Al Gore (newly elected at the time of development) were added as a topical joke; Prince Charles appears as a secret character; various Midway employees were included as a developer tribute. The characters were unlocked by entering specific initials at the player select screen combined with button-hold inputs, a discovery process that spread almost entirely through arcade operator gossip and gaming magazines. The hidden character tradition continued in NBA Jam T.E. and subsequent Midway sports titles, with the roster of secrets expanding with each version.
At the "Tonight's Match-Up" screen, hold Turbo + Steal and press the Shoot button three times before the timer expires, then enter specific initials: "WJC" for Clinton, "AGO" for Gore. The exact method varies by version (arcade, Genesis, SNES) but follows the same principle of initials plus button combinations.