LeBron James has opened up about his upcoming film, Space Jam: A New Legacy, 25 years after Michael Jordan released his one inspired on some Nike commercials. His Airness teamed up with a very interesting group of players led by Bugs Bunny who went to beat the Monstars, one of the best teams ever assembled in basketball history.
Now it’s LeBron’s turn and the King is ready for the challenge. Recently, we saw some images of the movie, with James playing alongside the LT and talking with the antagonist of the film, interpreted by Don Cheadle. As usual, NBA fans started comparing James with Jordan, using any argument to try to bring the King down or vice versa.
Talking with Entertainment Weekly, LBJ explained his love for the movie and how it was one of his favorites growing up. He praised MJ for what he did before, which opened the door for him to make this new movie.
“There were a lot of films for me, but Space Jam was definitely up there. Just growing up and loving the NBA, and obviously loving Michael Jordan, and loving the Looney Tunes, it was an automatic and a very organic blend between the two worlds.
“And it was fun to see what MJ and Bugs and Taz and all those great toons were able to go through in that first movie. So it definitely had a big part of my childhood.”
He also talked about comparisons with the Chicago Bulls legend, explaining he’s a big fan of MJ and everything he did but he’s focused on himself and nothing else.
EW: At any point throughout the process, whether the first time or this time, was there ever any apprehension about following MJ? Obviously you’re already used to, and probably tired of, hearing the LeBron and MJ comparisons and debates. Or is that just something you couldn’t let affect the decision?
LeBron: In my younger days, part of the thinking, besides focusing on the game of basketball, was, “Space Jam was so good, how can I top this?” There’s always going to be conversations about LeBron trying to do everything that Michael [did]. So when I was younger, you’d give in to those. But I’ve gotten older, and you know who you are. You know what you believe in, and you know what you stand for. Those type of conversations are going to happen anyway. They don’t really get to you as much as they [would] when you’re younger.
EW: That makes sense. Have you had a chance at all, even in passing, to talk to MJ about you doing this? I don’t know what kind of communication is allowed since he’s the owner of the Charlotte Hornets, like that might be considered tampering or something.
LeBron: [Laughs] No, I haven’t had a conversation with Mike about Space Jam, but I hope to if he gets an opportunity to see the movie. I did my best to continue it. I think one thing that we will show the viewers is that it’s not a sequel. It’s its own movie and twist. But to be able to just be in the Space Jam world, it’s something that Mike created and is his. I respect that, and I held that with lot of responsibility.
We have to wait and see what LeBron did in the movie. There are big expectations about it and we’ll see how he did later this year. He has always been compared with Jordan and this time won’t be different.
They have had similar careers, being great since they were rookies, sharing very similar moments on the court, including game-winners, and also having similar seasons at 35. There is a reason why these two are always part of the GOAT conversation and this movie will be another factor to have in mind for a lot of fans. The plot of this movie is different from the Jordan one and fans can’t wait to see if LeBron can keep his good run on the court with the Looney Tunes.
