Each team’s best NBA Jam duo of all time

Best NBA Jam duo for Washington Wizards: Elvin Hayes + Earl Monroe

In recent years, the Washington Wizards have struggled as a franchise to sustain success. They get a star point guard, then he goes down with a catastrophic injury or starts bringing loaded weapons into the locker room.

This lack of sustained success has kept them unable to reach the top prize. Decades ago, however, this team was riding high and it was in large part due to Elvin Hayes and Earl Monroe.

More from All-Time Lists

• The 6 greatest NBA players to never make an All-Star Team
• Who is poised to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024?
• 5 NBA players who could join the exclusive 50/40/90 club in 2023–24
• The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares
• Ranking the 20 greatest rookie seasons in NBA history

Earl “The Pearl” Monroe came first, his flashy style of scoring the basketball on the playground and at Winston-Salem State University under Clarence Gaines drawing the interest of the NBA.

In 1967, he was drafted No. 2 overall by the then-Baltimore Bullets. He was an instant fan favorite, averaging 24.3 points per game as a rookie and dazzling with dribble moves, crazy shots and a large amount of flair. Monroe was fast, Monroe was fun and above all, Monroe was good.

Elvin Hayes came later, joining the Bullets after a few other stops. He was an incredibly strong power forward with an unparalleled drive to rebound and score. In NBA Jam, while Monroe is dazzling with his moves and finishes, Hayes will be there to clean things up and stuff the ball back in. Defensively, he is stout and will be able to man the middle, while Monroe is on the outside.

Can the Bullets lay claim to the best duo for NBA Jam among all the other teams? Probably not, because that claim is too difficult to make. We can only hope this franchise all-star version is made soon so we can all start mashing buttons and take some of the greatest players in NBA history out for a test drive.