Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs
Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs on?
- Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.
- When did Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs release?
- Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs was first released on January 1, 1991.
About Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs
Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs is a basketball video game developed by Electronic Arts and released in 1992 exclusively for the Sega Mega Drive. The game is the sequel to Lakers versus Celtics. The game's name refers to the previous season's NBA championship series, the 1991 NBA Finals matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. It is the second game in the NBA Playoffs series of games. Although there is no SNES version for Bulls vs Lakers, the SNES (and first) version of Bulls vs. Blazers was heavily based on Bulls vs Lakers, with the later Mega Drive version introducing a few changes from this. Bulls vs Lakers introduced a television broadcast-style presentation with a fictional television network, "EASN", the Electronic Arts Sports Network. It was the first team basketball game to feature an in-game instant replay feature. Bing Gordon, the Chief Creative Officer of Electronic Arts, was featured as the game announcer. This was also the first game to depict NBA team logos on the courts. Gameplay[edit] The game can be played in various ways: players could play against each other, or against the computer. Games against the computer were divided into two modes, "Exhibition" or "Playoffs". Players could pick from one of the 16 teams that competed in the 1991 NBA Playoffs. Rosters featured many top NBA stars of the time, including Michael Jordan. Games could be configured for 2, 5, 8 or 12 minute quarters. New to the series is a star underneath the player to let users easily know which player they are controlling. Reception Review scores Publication Score MegaTech 80%[1] MegaTech said that the game had impressive graphics and atmosphere, but that it did not play as fast as David Robinson's Supreme Court.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- Electronic Arts
- Publisher
- Electronic Arts
- Game modes
- Single player
- Series
- NBA
Details via IGDB.
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1992 | $4 | $9 | $159 | 8 reviews | Low |
Also released on: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $8 | $26 | $111 |
| Japanese release (NBA Pro Basketball Bulls vs Lakers) | $12 | $26 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $0.38 in Oct 2007, $2.26 five years ago, and $4.13 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $0.88 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $3.95 | $2.25 |
| Jan 2015 | $5.79 | $4.00 |
| Jan 2016 | $2.85 | $4.44 |
| Jan 2017 | $3.49 | $4.46 |
| Jan 2018 | $3.75 | $5.82 |
| Jan 2019 | $5.07 | $5.49 |
| Jan 2020 | $3.69 | $6.97 |
| Jan 2021 | $2.65 | $7.98 |
| Jan 2022 | $4.79 | $9.99 |
| Jan 2023 | $3.99 | $7.93 |
| Jan 2024 | $5.98 | $9.41 |
| Jan 2025 | $4.82 | $9.89 |
| Jan 2026 | $3.49 | $9.54 |
| Oct 2026 | $4.13 | $8.50 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | May 1992 | — | 014633070996 | — |
| Europe / PAL | August 1992 | — | 5015839227998 | — |
| Japan | 2 April 1993 | EM20012 | — | PWA P10001 REV G |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1992
- Authenticity
- Low
A landmark EA basketball cart whose television-style presentation still stands out, and one of the cheapest US carts.
Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs is a basketball game from Electronic Arts, the second in its NBA Playoffs series, built around the 1991 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. It introduced a television-broadcast style of presentation on a fictional Electronic Arts Sports Network, with EA's Bing Gordon as the announcer, and was the first game to show NBA team logos on the courts.
It reached North America in May 1992, Europe in August 1992 and Japan on 2 April 1993, where it was NBA Pro Basketball Bulls vs Lakers.
What the press said at the time
| GamePro Issue 37 | August 1992 | Graphics 4.0, Sound 3.5, Control 4.5, FunFactor 5.0 |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | 83% |
| MegaTech Issue 17 | May 1993 | 80% |
| MegaTech Issue 18 | June 1993 | MT RATING: 50% |
| MegaTech Issue 19 | July 1993 | 80% |
| Sega Pro Issue 24 | October 1993 | 78% |
| MegaTech Issue 27 | March 1994 | 80% |
| Sega Pro Issue 36 | September 1994 | 78% |
“Bulls vs. Lakers stands on its own (size 18) feet as a premium sports game for the Genesis.”
“A lot like Lakers Vs Celtics in terms of graphics and sound, Bull Vs Lakers is undoubtedly the best of the two, owing to its superior options. Probably the best Megadrive basketball on the market.”
“A Good graphics and feels like a realistic simulation. Not as instantly accessible as David Robinson's Supreme Court Basketball.”
“Bulls vs. Lakers stands on its own size 18 feet as a premium sports game for the Genesis.”
How the Sega Genesis version differs
MegaTech found the graphics and atmosphere impressive but said it did not play as fast as David Robinson's Supreme Court.
Mean Machines Sega scored it 83% and judged it the better of EA's two Mega Drive basketball games thanks to its superior options.
Also on other platforms
Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits near the bottom, so the US cart is the cheap way in. The European cart usually costs considerably more than the US cart, loose and complete, and the Japanese cart usually costs considerably more as well. The Japanese cartridge also has a different shape from a Western one.
Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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