NBA Street V3 is a 3-on-3 street basketball video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports BIG. Released in North America on 8 February 2005, it appeared simultaneously on the Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Xbox, and Sony PlayStation 2.

This isn’t a Mario game — it’s a real-world NBA-licensed sports title featuring all 30 NBA franchises and their 2004–05 season rosters, plus unlockable retired NBA legends and street basketball icons. The series’ third entry, it builds on EA’s “Trick Stick” mechanic and over-the-top dunk presentation.

This page focuses on the Mario cameo content of NBA Street V3 — the Nintendo All-Stars team, the Nintendo Court, how to unlock them, the cross-publisher EA × Nintendo deal that made them happen, and the wider context. The non-Mario NBA roster content is summarised but isn’t the focus.

The three playable Nintendo characters in NBA Street V3:

How they look

Each character is rendered in EA Canada’s NBA Street art style — stylised, slightly proportioned and exaggerated, but recognisably Mario, Luigi and Peach. They wear their standard outfits: Mario in his red overalls and cap, Luigi in green, Peach in her pink dress (modified for basketball mobility). Their character models are full 3D and capable of every dunk, trick, and Gamebreaker move that the human NBA characters can perform.

What they can do

The Nintendo All-Stars participate in every game mode available to other teams: Pick-Up Games, Be A Legend, NBA Challenge, Trick Battle, Slam Dunk Contest, Online and Local Multiplayer. They use the full Trick Stick mechanic and can execute Gamebreaker moves — NBA Street V3’s signature multi-trick power finishers that earn the team a massive point bonus.

Screenshots in action

Yes, that’s Princess Peach dunking a basketball over an NBA player. NBA Street V3 is one of the very few games where you can see Mario beat Vince Carter at his own sport.

The Nintendo Court is a fully custom basketball court designed around the Super Mario universe, exclusive to the GameCube version of NBA Street V3.

Design

• Super Mario themed visuals throughout the court — instantly recognisable Mushroom Kingdom design language, including familiar Mario-universe motifs in the surrounding environment
• The court itself is rendered with NBA Street V3’s street basketball aesthetic but with Nintendo-branded styling
• Acts as the home court for the Nintendo All-Stars team
• Available as a selectable venue in Pick-Up Games and other modes once unlocked

Gameplay on the Nintendo Court

Mechanically the Nintendo Court plays the same as any other NBA Street V3 court — it’s a visual reskin rather than a gameplay variant. But the visual atmosphere is genuinely thrilling for Mario fans: watching Mario, Luigi and Peach perform Gamebreaker tricks against NBA pros, all on a court that looks like it belongs in the Mushroom Kingdom, is a unique moment in Nintendo cross-publisher history.

The Nintendo All-Stars team and the Nintendo Court are unlockable in NBA Street V3 — you don’t start the game with them available.

Unlocking Mario, Luigi & Peach

• The Nintendo All-Stars are unlocked by progressing through the NBA Challenge mode — NBA Street V3’s primary single-player campaign
• Specifically, they are unlocked by defeating all 30 NBA teams in the NBA Challenge mode (advance to and defeat every team in turn)
• Once unlocked, all three Nintendo characters are available together as a team in any compatible game mode

Unlocking the Nintendo Court

• The Nintendo Court is unlocked separately, typically by progressing through NBA Challenge mode or by completing specific challenges within it
• Once unlocked, the court is permanently available as a venue option

Tips for unlocking

• Play NBA Challenge mode as your priority — it’s the unlocking path for Nintendo content
• Win Gamebreaker matches when possible — they award higher points and progress NBA Challenge faster
• Save frequently — a save corruption can lose your Nintendo All-Stars unlock state
• The unlock applies to your save file specifically — if you start a fresh save you’ll need to re-unlock

The Nintendo cameos in NBA Street V3 are the result of a cross-promotional deal between Electronic Arts and Nintendo in the GameCube era. Here’s the context:

The Deal

• EA had a strained relationship with Nintendo through much of the GameCube era (EA notably skipped releasing games on the platform for periods of time)
• Nintendo wanted EA back on GameCube with major sports titles — EA Sports was the dominant force in sports gaming, with FIFA, Madden, NBA, NHL and others
• As part of the renewed publishing relationship, EA agreed to include Nintendo-exclusive content in certain GameCube versions of their multi-platform games — a way for Nintendo to differentiate their version of EA Sports titles and incentivise GameCube purchases
• The Nintendo characters available varied by title — NBA Street V3 got Mario, Luigi and Peach with their Nintendo Court; SSX on Tour got a different selection

What other versions got

• Xbox version: includes SpongeBob SquarePants characters as the exclusive cameo — SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward
• PlayStation 2 version: includes Master Chief (the Halo protagonist) as the exclusive cameo — yes, the PS2 of all platforms got Master Chief
• None of these other versions has access to the others’ exclusive cameos, so each platform has a unique flavor

The wider context: this was part of a broader publisher-strategy era where major cross-publisher cameos were used as platform-exclusivity sweeteners. Other examples include Snake in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Konami’s Hideo Kojima personally pushed for it), Sonic in Smash Bros., and the more recent Pokemon-Pokken collaboration with Bandai Namco.

The second EA × Nintendo cross-promotional title featuring Mario characters: SSX on Tour, released by EA Sports BIG in October 2005 on GameCube, PS2, and PSP.

What SSX on Tour got

• Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach as playable characters — EXACTLY the same Nintendo trio that appeared in NBA Street V3 earlier in 2005
• Each character has snowboarding gear styled after their standard outfits
• Like in NBA Street V3, they’re unlockable through campaign progression
• The cameos are exclusive to the GameCube version of SSX on Tour — the PS2 and PSP versions lack them

Pattern: Mario / Luigi / Peach Trio

It’s notable that EA chose the exact same Mario/Luigi/Peach trio for both NBA Street V3 and SSX on Tour. This wasn’t a coincidence — it’s a deliberate Nintendo-EA brand choice. The Mario Bros + Princess Peach trio is the most marketable Mario character lineup outside the “Mario Party” ensemble cast — instantly recognisable, family-friendly, and easy for non-Mario fans to identify. Together these two games established a template for Mario-as-cameo in EA Sports BIG titles.

If you’re interested in seeing the Mario cameos in SSX on Tour, check our SSX on Tour page on this site.

The core gameplay of NBA Street V3 is 3-on-3 street basketball in the EA Sports BIG arcade tradition — over-the-top, trick-heavy, and dunk-celebratory rather than simulation-accurate. This applies whether you’re playing as NBA stars or as the Nintendo All-Stars.

Core Mechanics

• Trick Stick — NBA Street V3’s signature feature, introduced in this game. The right analog stick controls tricks: directional flicks execute crossovers, between-the-legs moves, behind-the-back passes, and signature dribbling combos
• Gamebreakers — multi-trick power finishers. Build up the Gamebreaker meter through successful tricks and dunks, then unleash a devastating multi-character move worth a massive point bonus
• Dunk Contest — standalone mode where you compete in a slam dunk contest. Mario can perform Gamebreaker dunks here, just as the NBA stars can
• 4-Player Local — up to 4 players simultaneously

Game Modes

• Pick-Up Games — freeform 3-on-3 matches
• NBA Challenge — main single-player campaign (defeats all 30 NBA teams in succession; the Nintendo All-Stars unlock path)
• Be A Legend — create-a-player career mode. Build your custom character through career challenges
• Trick Battle — competitive trick-and-dunk scoring matches
• Slam Dunk Contest — the NBA-style dunk contest competition

NBA Street V3 features all 30 NBA franchises from the 2004–05 season, with rosters accurate as of December 20, 2004. The Nintendo All-Stars sit alongside these as the exclusive GameCube unlockable.

Nintendo All-Stars (GameCube exclusive)

• Mario — power dunker, classic Mario charisma
• Luigi — height advantage for blocks, reach for catches
• Princess Peach — trick-focused, agility-based playmaker

30 NBA Teams (Authentic 2004–05 rosters)

Beyond the Nintendo All-Stars, NBA Street V3 has three other categories of unlockable characters:

Street Legends (Original characters)

Characters created specifically for the NBA Street series:

• Biggie Littles
• Dime
• Takashi
• Phat
• Bonafide
• Stretch

NBA Legends (Retired NBA stars)

A roster of retired NBA greats:

• Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving (Dr. J), Bill Russell, Bill Walton
• Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Pete Maravich, George Gervin, Moses Malone
• Walt Frazier, Nate Archibald, Bernard King, Clyde Drexler, Elgin Baylor
• Earl Monroe, Bob Cousy, David Thompson, Connie Hawkins, Rick Mahorn, Joe Dumars, Spud Webb, Darryl Dawkins

Rap Legends (Beastie Boys!)

All three members of the hip-hop group Beastie Boys:

• Mike D
• Ad-Rock
• MCA

The Beastie Boys appearance is one of the most memorable music-artist cameos in NBA history — they provided some of the game’s soundtrack and appear as playable characters with their own dunk animations.

• Developer: EA Canada
• Publisher: EA Sports BIG
• Certification: THX certified in 2005 (audio/visual quality assurance)
• NBA License: Official NBA licensing for all 30 teams and player likenesses
• Nintendo Cameos License: Granted by Nintendo as part of the EA × Nintendo cross-promotional deal
• Beastie Boys License: Music and likeness licensing through Brooklyn Dust Music

• NBA Street V3 is the only NBA Street game with Mario cameos. Earlier entries (V1 in 2001, V2 in 2003) did not have any Nintendo characters; the V3 cameos are platform-specific to the GameCube version
• Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach are the only Nintendo characters in NBA Street V3 — no Wario, no Bowser, no Yoshi. The trio choice was deliberate for marketing simplicity
• The same Mario/Luigi/Peach trio appears in SSX on Tour (October 2005) as the other half of the EA × Nintendo deal — NBA Street V3 came first by 8 months
• Different cameos per platform: GameCube got Nintendo (Mario/Luigi/Peach), Xbox got SpongeBob characters, PS2 got Master Chief from Halo. Yes, Master Chief on PS2 is one of the strangest console-cameo mismatches in gaming history
• The Nintendo Court is a fully unique court design exclusive to the GameCube version. Other platforms got SpongeBob and Halo-themed courts respectively
• Beastie Boys are playable characters. The hip-hop group’s three members — Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA — appear as Rap Legends. They provided some of the game’s soundtrack
• NBA Street V3 introduced the Trick Stick mechanic, which became a recurring feature in subsequent EA Sports BIG titles
• The game features 30 real NBA franchises with their full 2004–05 rosters — LeBron James (Cavaliers), Tracy McGrady (Rockets), Kevin Garnett (Timberwolves), Vince Carter (Raptors then Nets), Steve Francis (Magic), Carmelo Anthony (Nuggets) all feature
• The screenshot of Mario dunking over Carmelo Anthony became one of the iconic NBA Street V3 promotional images, capturing the surreal charm of Nintendo's mustachioed plumber on an NBA court
• The EA × Nintendo deal was unusual in that EA — a third-party publisher — was incorporating Nintendo first-party IP into multi-platform titles. Nintendo retains tight control over Mario, Luigi and Peach licensing, so this was a high-trust arrangement
• NBA Street V3 was the third and final main entry in the NBA Street series. EA Sports BIG would later release NBA Street Homecourt on Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2007, but it was framed as a spin-off and lacked the Nintendo cameos
• The Mario cameos in NBA Street V3 marked one of the earliest times Mario appeared in a fully third-party-developed game that wasn't part of Mario’s usual franchise. Mario’s prior third-party cameos had mostly been in Nintendo-published titles like Super Smash Bros., not EA Sports BIG’s NBA Street
• Princess Peach dunking a basketball remains one of gaming’s most unexpectedly memorable images. It captures the surreal joy of the cross-publisher era

Sub-pages, guides, and related cross-publisher Mario cameo content.

Box art gallery and screenshots for NBA Street V3 (with a focus on the GameCube version and its Mario cameos).