But the real key to James’ billion-dollar fortune: He’s been more than just a pitchman. James has long structured deals to give him equity in brands he partners with, giving him a cut of the upside instead of a quick paycheck. In 2015, James walked away from an endorsement agreement with McDonald’s, worth an estimated $15 million over four years, to instead gamble on the fast-growing Blaze Pizza chain, where he’s an investor. He’s taken equity in brands like smart gym-maker Tonal and rideshare giant Lyft as well. Then there’s SpringHill, the TV and movie production outfit built by James and business partner Maverick Carter. Last October, outside investors including Boston Red Sox owner Fenway Sports Group and Epic Games bought into the venture–which helped produce the $163 million (worldwide box office gross) Space Jam: A New Legacy and HBO documentary What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali–at a $725 million valuation. James, of course, remains the biggest shareholder.
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Hi Muggsy, what’s something most people don’t know about the making of Space Jam? Muggsy Bogues: During my part I had actually just had surgery so I wasn’t actually walking when filming they were pulling me on a dolly
LeBron James gets worst actor Razzie award
Space Jam: A New Legacy and star LeBron James became part of the annual Golden Raspberry Awards. The Razzies traditionally celebrate the worst coming out of Hollywood on the eve of the Oscar Awards. The Los Angeles Lakers star himself, taking over from Michael Jordan in the Space James sequel, was named worst actor and worst screen couple along with any cartoon character of Warner Bros, as announced On Razzies.com. The movie was labeled as the worst remake, rip-off or sequel.
The Razzie® Awards: LeBron, Bruce Willis and Diana! Watch the 42nd Razzie Awards! @KingJames
A vandal has defaced a large “Space Jam” inspired LeBron James mural in his hometown. Early Monday, a red clown nose was spray painted on James’ face, along with the words “LA FLOP,” a reference to James’ sometimes dramatic reactions to fouls on the court.
After opening to $31.05M in first place last weekend, Space Jam: A New Legacy plummeted to No. 4 with an estimated $9.56M, marking a steep 69% drop from its debut. The Warner Bros. release, which debuted day-and-date on HBO Max, has proven to be a front-loaded title in theaters, with its streaming availability likely leading many families with young kids to watch the film at home. The sequel’s total stands at $51.37M to date.
Joe Pytka — the director of Michael Jordan’s original “Space Jam” — is going off on LeBron James’ reboot, calling it an uninteresting mess … and that’s about the nicest thing he has to say. Pytka — who’s also known for directing popular music videos and commercials in the ’80s and ’90s, including the “I Am Tiger Woods” ad — tells TMZ … “Space Jam: A New Legacy” is so boring, he couldn’t finish it in one sitting.
Joe says LeBron’s an incredible athlete and a very good actor, but adds … “The truth is that LeBron ain’t Michael.” On top of that, Pytka says his film tied the plot to MJ’s personal life — retiring from hoops to play baseball — while the new movie’s missing a personal connection to LeBron.
Critics rebuffed “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (it holds a bleak 31% average on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences appeared to embrace the movie, awarding it an “A-” CinemaScore. “Space Jam 2” played in 3,965 cinemas in North America, while being available on HBO Max at no extra charge to subscribers. “The marketing on this movie really looked fun, and it helped alert audiences everywhere,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution.
“Space Jam 2” is the first family film in some time to entice moviegoers with kids. Among ticket buyers, 53% were male and 52% were under the age of 25. “This weekend is a positive indication that the family audience is alive, well and, according to ‘Space Jam 2’s’ enthusiastic audience scores, still thrilled by the big screen,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research.
The follow-up film cost $150 million to make, which means the latest “Space Jam” needs to sell tickets, and a lot of them, to turn a profit. However, in the case of Warner Bros., box office ticket sales aren’t its only metric of success. The studio’s parent company WarnerMedia is hoping that putting “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” and the rest of its 2021 slate, simultaneously on streaming and in theaters will incentivize people to sign up for a subscription to HBO Max.
This was probably an inevitability, now that we think about it: earlier today, Epic Games announced to the world that LeBron James’ arrival to the world of Fortnite is imminent. Beginning July 14, players will be able to download multiple King James skins, along with a number of additional accessories to use in-game. Item Shop options include a Taco Tuesday outfit variant, James’ Tune Squad jersey from his upcoming role in Space Jam: A New Legacy, as well as a “King’s Back Bling” option. Each skin also comes with a pair of LeBron’s upcoming signature shoe line, the Nike LeBron 19.
From a content perspective, it’s SpringHill’s biggest project yet. The film is a platform for several brand partnerships too. Here are the biggest ones: Microsoft Xbox: Microsoft released three exclusive Space Jam controllers and a new video game. Nike and Converse: an apparel collection featuring new sneakers, the LeBron 19s, LeBron 18 Lows, Air Force 1s in toddler sizes, and Chuck Taylors. McDonald’s: SpringHill got Space Jam toys in Happy Meals—a place that’s been held on lock by Disney and Marvel characters Fortnite: LeBron now has a Space Jam-themed skin in Fortnite Nifty: free Space Jam-inspired NFTs for up to 91,000 guests
“I literally got a movie that dropped today,” James said. “Space Jam: A New Legacy, oh my goodness. It finally just hit me, I can’t believe it. I’m so honored, I’m so humbled, this is crazy. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I’ve got so much energy today, I hope everybody goes out, check it out at the movie theaters, HBO Max. Wherever it’s around you, please check it out, I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
Space Jam 2 takes No. 1 spot at box office
Warner Bros.’ “Space Jam: A New Legacy” has turned box office predictions on their head, blowing past both tracker projections and “Black Widow” to easily take the No. 1 spot at the box office with $13 million grossed from 3,965 screens on Friday and an estimated $32 million opening weekend.
Entering the weekend, “Space Jam 2” had been expected to open to $20 million, both behind “Black Widow” on the charts and behind the $27.5 million that the original “Space Jam” earned in 1996. But millennials nostalgic for “Space Jam” had something to say about that. While families played a key role with 32% of the audience in CinemaScore polls being under the age of 18, 40% were in the 18-35 demographic.
As expected, the film did better with audiences than critics, with Rotten Tomatoes scores showing 31% critics and 83% audience while CinemaScore audience polls yielded an A-.
In 2015, James starred in the Amy Schumer-led comedy “Trainwreck,” which hardly describes how James’ basketball peers viewed his thespian skills in his latest flick. Instead, James’ latest accomplishment might add another wrinkle to the endless comparisons to Jordan. “For him to come and take a role like this and basically do the sequel of the famous Michael Jordan movie, I thought that was pretty cool,” Lillard said. “We’re hearing him saying that he got a gym set up and that he’s training every morning, early in the morning. By the time we got there, sometimes he was already rolling.”
This time, neither Lillard nor Ogwumike attempted to take a game-winning shot. As they filmed “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” the movie’s lead actor (LeBron James), other NBA players (Lillard, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green) and WNBA stars (Ogwumike, Diana Taurasi) learned they could deliver both scripted and improvised lines. So just like when star players first become teammates, they experienced some initial hiccups. “Dame was mad because he said I was ad-libbing too much and I was speaking over his lines,” Ogwumike told USA TODAY Sports while laughing. “It was funny. In between takes, we would have a little bit of fun and banter.”
Taurasi, Ogwumike and Lillard delivered positive reviews with the finished product, which will be released nationwide on Friday nearly 25 years after Michael Jordan starred in the original. But when the NBA and WNBA stars filmed the Looney Tunes’ stand-alone sequel two summers ago, their new job required more than tightening their shorts, lacing their sneakers and playing hoops. “We’re basketball players. We’re not actors. So there were a lot of missed lines and miscues,” Taurasi told USA TODAY Sports. “It was fun to work through the kinks and finally get a scene done that they were happy with. It took a whole day to put together a scene that might take five seconds in a movie.”
Like in all aspects of James’ career, comparisons to the Jordan original are inescapable, but when the movie also has seen two different directors, six different screenwriters, five other NBA and WNBA All-Stars, two years of production and a $150 million budget, the bigger question around the movie may simply be “Is it good?” Answers to that question started landing this week ahead of the movie’s release. Here’s what the reviews had to say. Reviews for ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ “Space Jam: A New Legacy” currently holds a 37 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes through 70 reviews and a 40 on Metacritic through 26 reviews.
Though there were some who legitimately enjoyed the film, or at least believed the film’s target audience would enjoy it, like Den of Geek: “The reason Space Jam: A New Legacy doesn’t fall off of the wheels is because the film has a clear message for kids, a satisfying character arc for James, and an emotional climax that is acted well enough by the four-time MVP. That’s more than His Airness’ version gave us. At the end of the day, this is a movie for kids, and they’ll likely be pulled into its world like the characters themselves.”
Baltimore kids got a special night out at the movies courtesy of San Antonio Spurs’ Rudy Gay. Gay, who is from Baltimore, shared on social media he treated kids from the Boys and Girls Club Baltimore to a showing of the new “Space Jam” animated movie. But he did not just treat them to any screening… the kids got a private screening!
The 120-employee SpringHill’s projects include “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” starring James alongside a crew of Looney Tunes favorites, which Warner Bros. is releasing July 16 on HBO Max and in theaters. The company also is currently in production on “House Party” for New Line, as well as the Adam Sandler-led “Hustle” for Netflix. And on Monday, ViacomCBS’s Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films announced an original live-action movie “Fantasy Football,” executive produced by SpringHill Co. in partnership with Genius Entertainment, about a 15-year-old girl who discovers she can control her professional football player dad’s prowess on the field through her video game; production is set to begin in early 2022.
LeBron James: About last night! It was a ABSOLUTE SURREAL feeling doing a WORLD premiere of @spacejammovie in which I’m the lead role! Beyond Craziness. I literally would have dreams about being in Space Jam with the Looney Tunes when I was a kid growing up. Can’t believe this, I just can’t! To my amazing director & cast you guys killed it!!!! This Friday July 16th i can’t wait for all of you to see it! It’s one heck out an ADVENTURE I believe everyone will enjoy!!! Love y’all for real for real for the support!! @thespringhillco @spacejammovie
Sound the alarm – Warner Bros. just dropped free NFTs for the release of Space Jam: A New Legacy including LeBron James and the rest of the Tune Squad. A total of 91,000 limited-edition tokens featuring the Los Angeles Lakers superstar as well as different characters like Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, Tweety Bird, and the rest of the eight members of the team – including LBJ. The studio, in partnership with a Mark Cuban-backed NFT website called Niftys, has rolled out the promo on Monday in anticipation of the scheduled premiere of the film on Friday, July 16.
LeBron James is the latest celebrity to enter the Fortnite metaverse. Starting on July 14th, players will be able to purchase two different versions of the NBA star: a regular LeBron with a handful of outfits, and another modeled after his role in the upcoming movie Space Jam: A New Legacy.
The two skins, and their associated accessories, will also be available as part of a bundle. And both will sport the player’s upcoming shoe, the Nike LeBron 19. Even better: one of the optional outfits pays homage to a classic LeBron game day look from 2018.
Dame D.O.L.L.A., who plays Chronos in the film, is the only actor (and athlete) to also appear on the album with the original song “About That Time” featuring G-Eazy, P-Lo and White Dave. While news that Lillard has a substantial role in the film broke in May, it wasn’t until June 17 that Dame Time took to Twitter to share he would also be on the album.
However, it would have been too costly for Nike to switch at the time since they were already producing apparel for the following season that still had James with No. 23. The change was delayed another season due to complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A league source also says the switch was purposefully timed with the release of “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” where James is wearing No. 6.
The original Space Jam was made for $88 million and released on Nov. 15, 1996. It generated $230 million worldwide in its theatrical run (which is $364 million in today’s dollars). The sequel’s budget is $162 million. Even if the new film is a dud, and there are SpringHill shows that flop, James will be fine, Squire said. “The risk is the same as for any entertainer who is in the establishment phase of entertainment, and he’s beyond the establishment phase because he has a lot of deals going on,” he said. “He’s diverse enough that his companies and holdings can withstand a cancellation here and there.”
The sequel to “Space Jam” may be getting a boost from the star of the original film. Actor Don Cheadle, who plays the main villain in this summer’s upcoming “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” hinted this week at a Michael Jordan cameo. “Michael Jordan is in the movie, but not in the way you would expect it,” Cheadle told NBC’s ‘Access Hollywood.’
Space Jam: A New Legacy: Introducing the Goon Squad! Arachnneka, The Brow, Wet-Fire, White Mamba, and Chronos are stepping up to the Tune Squad in Space Jam: A New Legacy – in theaters and streaming on HBO Max* July 16. #SpaceJamMovie
Favorite movie? LaMelo Ball: I’m hoping it’s going to be this “Space Jam” 2, because I follow “Space Jam” 1 heavy. So, yeah, “Space Jam” 2 looks dope.
LeBron James: . @Dame_Lillard @AntDavis23 @KlayThompson @DianaTaurasi @Nnemkadi30 THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for taking time out of your busy schedules, trusting me and playing a huge part of Space Jam: A New Legacy!! Means a lot! 🙏🏾✊🏾💪🏾👑 @spacejammovie
Earlier this summer, Damian Lillard joined LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Diana Taurasi and a host of other professional NBA and WNBA players, as well as the likes of Don Cheadle and Sonequa Martin-Green for the filming of Space Jam 2, the sequel/remake of the Michael Jordan vehicle, which was originally released in 1996. James takes the lead role this time, with Lillard presumable picking up one of the roles filled by Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson in the original.
Although James opted against an acting coach on Trainwreck, Lee and Cheadle schooled him on New Legacy. “Just like in the NBA, I like to be coached by my coaches,” James explains. “I was the same way on set.” Cheadle sees so much onscreen potential in James’ future that he feels the need to issue a warning: “I would tell him, if he got too good at it, he needs to stay in his own lane. He’s got enough shine!”
LeBron James: Y’ALL NOT READY FOR THIS SQUAD!!!! 😱🐰🥕👑 @spacejammovie @EW pic.twitter.com/8ogu758fsO
The long-awaited sequel to “Space Jam” from LeBron James is only months away, and you won’t even have to leave home to see it. “Space Jam: A New Legacy” is hitting both theaters and HBO Max on July 16, 2021 as part of a move by Warner Bros. to release its entire slate of movies in 2021 on its new streaming service. HBO Max released a 30-second sizzle reel on Saturday to remind everyone of that fact, and it included our first look at any scene from James’ upcoming movie.
Xbox, LeBron James and Bugs Bunny want your looniest ideas to help us design the Space Jam: A New Legacy arcade-style video game. If your idea is out-of-this-world, we’ll bring it to life as the official Xbox Space Jam: A New Legacy arcade-style game that will launch in Xbox Game Pass in June. We’ll even put your name in the game credits and you could score some of the coolest prizes in the world. See official rules for full details! Just follow the steps below and show us what you got.
The answer is: you don’t try to do what the original did and you try something similar but new, just like the new uniforms that we saw earlier this year. Here’s the summary, which was part of a tie-in with Microsoft (see below) that was released on Monday: “In this film, basketball champion and global icon LeBron James goes on an epic adventure alongside timeless Tune Bugs Bunny. When James and his young son Dom – who dreams of being a video game developer – are trapped in a digital space by a rogue AI, James must get them home safe by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the AI’s digitized champions on the court: a powered-up roster of basketball stars as you’ve never seen them before.”
Space Jam 2 is coming to a couch near you. In a move certain to shake up the movie theater industry, AT&T’s Warner Bros. announced that its entire 2021 slate of films will release on HBO Max the same day they come out in theaters. That’s an expected 17 movies available for streaming, including: LeBron James-produced “Space Jam: A New Legacy.”
Next summer’s release of LeBron James’ anticipated “Space Jam” sequel won’t be limited to the big screen. Warner Bros. announced Thursday that its 2021 theatrical slate, including “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” will be available on the streaming platform HBO Max concurrent with the films’ global cinema release, according to Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro.
LeBron James is starring in and producing Space Jam 2, which is scheduled for a 2021 release, but Vogel confirmed on ESPN’s “The Lowe Post” podcast with Zach Lowe that he will not be appearing in the film: “Nope. (laughs) I have not asked. I’m not really interested. If I was asked, I would do whatever they wanted, but I’ve not tried to pursue that at all… I’m a basketball coach (laughs).”
LeBron James Family Foundation: Would it be the Family Reunion without a special surprise?! @Maverick Carter gives our I Promise families the first ever look at @LeBron James in his @spacejammovie ‘A New Legacy’ jersey!
LeBron James Foundation: Would it be the Family Reunion without a special surprise?! @mavcarter gives our I Promise families the first-ever look at @KingJames in his @spacejammovie ‘A New Legacy’ jersey!
TMZ Sports obtained audio of the farewell speech LeBron James gave to the “Space Jam” cast and crew on his last day of shooting … and it’s emotional stuff. The NBA superstar — wearing his #6 ‘Toon Squad’ uniform — addressed the cast and crew in Summer 2019 (before the COVID pandemic) … and explained why it was so important for him to take the role in the first place. “I’m gonna be honest completely with you guys — when I found out about the project, I was like it’s ‘Space Jam’! It’s a movie that I grew up watching. People in the movie that I idolize. I was like absolutely, I gotta do it. There’s no way I can turn down ‘Space Jam’!”
Yet when the time came for James to recruit NBA players for his Space Jam sequel, Caruso apparently missed the cut. When ESPN’s Zach Lowe asked Caruso on his Lowe Post podcast whether or not he would appear in the movie, and sadly, the Lakers’ guard confirmed that he would not. “Unfortunately there will not be an AC Fresh cameo in ‘Space Jam,'” Caruso said.
Miller: Mike and I used to do battle and get after one another. I always wanted to be on the opposite team as MJ. My whole purpose of going to these games was to try and find a vice I could use if and when we faced each other during the regular season and/or playoffs. Safe to say I never found one because he didn’t have any deficiencies.
Tim Hardaway (5x NBA All-Star): I was there for about a week. We played every day. You had Chris Mullin, Rod Strickland out there. Gary Payton, of course. Reggie, Pat, Charles [Barkley]. Charles needed it because you know, he’s always getting heavy during the course of the summer. He really needed to be in shape and ready to go. He loved it. Charles would be going at people. We had to go double team him because basically when he got it down low, nobody could stop him. If you didn’t want to lose, you had to go down there and double team. Basketball stars weren’t the only ones flocking to the Jordan Dome. There was even a celebrity row.
Miller: Juwan Howard and Dennis Rodman were the two players who really stood out to me, besides Jordan being Jordan. Those two guys always brought it.
Joe Pytka (Director of Space Jam): I only played up there three or four times. The only memory I have really is that Michael was a beast. One poor guy who was about 6-9 was trying to post Michael up. Every time he came down, he did the same move and Michael blocked his shot every time. After three or four times, Michael just chewed him out. He said, You’ve been doing the same move for the last 15 minutes and it ain’t working for you. Figure something else out. The guy was humiliated. He just killed the guy.
Everybody get up, it’s time to slam now because “Space Jam 2” has an official title, thanks to NBA superstar LeBron James. On Thursday, the Lakers player posted a video of himself wearing a hat on his Instagram with the logo of “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” the apparent title of the Looney Tunes sequel. It was reposted by the film’s official Twitter page later that day.
LeBron James: The thing is Space Jam has always been scheduled to come out in June of 2021. A lot of it right now is animation. So being indoors actually great for us So, you know, just like everything in the world, everything is slowed down a little bit, but we’re still on target.
Actor Paul Scheer — best known for his memorable role as “Andre” in FX’s “The League” — is currently working on Showtime’s “Black Monday” with Cheadle, and during an appearance on the “Clip City” podcast to talk about his Clippers fandom, he let the tidbit about his co-star’s role in “Space Jam 2” slip as an aside in a conversation about Blake Griffin’s acting success (emphasis mine): “Actually Don Cheadle, who I do ‘Black Monday’ with, he’s the bad guy in ‘Space Jam,’ and he said LeBron’s really great. He was great in ‘Train Wreck’ too.”
Marla Ridenour: In Thursday’s @RoadTrippinPod, @LeBron James gave a Space Jam update: “Space Jam has always been scheduled to come out in June of 2021. A lot of it right now is animation, so being indoors is actually great for us. We’re still on target. I’m looking forward to it.”
The uniforms that LeBron James and his cartoon pals will be wearing on the court against the Monstars in Space Jam 2 were revealed on Wednesday. The Twitter account for the J23 Jordan account posted two images of the jersey and shorts that will be released to promote the Looney Tunes movie sequel.
Before he wore a Los Angeles Lakers uniform, Anthony Davis already fulfilled a childhood dream. He filmed Space Jam 2 this summer, which gave him an early glimpse of what it is like to work with LeBron James. Davis also gained more perspective on the time and work it takes to perfect something. “That was definitely frustrating — the ‘hurry-up-and-wait.’ You’re just there waiting around to shoot your scene,” Davis recalled in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. “But just seeing the way they take everything seriously and how perfect they want everything to be, it was cool. I’ve never been on set for that much time. I think it was a cool experience.”
Davis only joined the Space Jam 2 cast because the filming took place during the summer. “I just want to play basketball,” said the 26-year-old Davis. “I have plenty of time in my career later on or after I retire to do that stuff. But right now, I’m just focused on basketball and trying to be the best basketball player I can be.”
Harrison Faigen: Space Jam 2 has cast a basketball double for LeBron.
Although Griffin confirmed he won’t be in Space Jam 2 (“I wasn’t invited,” he told the crowd during the show), he has built up a strong IMDb portfolio and has the comedy chops to try this alternate career on a more permanent basis. Yet he insists there’s no end goal to his occasional forays into the comedy world. “Honestly, there’s not,” Griffin says. “I’m not doing this to one day have my Netflix special. It’s just something I enjoy. To me, it gives me a chance to give back.”
Well, on this Taco Tuesday, James was working. He was on set for the filming of “Space Jam 2,” which could have put a pause to James’ Taco Tuesday tradition. James wasn’t going to let that happen … and he gave us a glimpse of the Tune Squad jersey in the process. James posted to his Instagram Story a series of videos showing him enjoying some tacos and shouting “Taco Tuesday!” But that jersey … looks like the Tune Squad will be rocking the away kits this film.
Earlier this summer, Lillard joined LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Diana Taurasi and a host of other professional NBA and WNBA players, as well as the likes of Don Cheadle and Sonequa Martin-Green for the filming of Space Jam 2, the sequel/remake of the Michael Jordan vehicle, which was originally released in 1996.
Lillard spent a week in Hollywood for the shoot, which required both long days and sacrificing his facial hair. “That was different,” said Lillard of shooting the movie. “You all know I’ve always had a babyface, so this season I grew a beard out, it took me like six months to grow it. I show up on the set, they make me shave it off for the animation. That’s why I look like this now. It was bare-faced for the animation, 15-hour days, showing up on the set at 6 a.m., leaving at 9 p.m. It was long.”
Lillard wouldn’t divulge much of anything about his role in nor the plot of Space Jam 2 other than to say “it’s significant, it’s not a cameo.” The time commitment was significant, as was the requirement to be clean shaven, but despite the sacrifices, Lillard thinks it’ll be worth the effort. “I’m not going to say it was fun, eventually it was fun, and now I’m happy I did it knowing that I was a part of something like that,” said Lillard. “I think it’s going to be great.”
Malcolm D. Lee is taking over the directing reins on Warner Bros./SpringHill Entertainment’s Space Jam 2 from Terence Nance. We hear that Nance’s departure from the project was amicable, and essentially the filmmaker and the studio/producers had different takes on the creative vision for Space Jam 2.
Coming off of the second-biggest-grossing film of all time, Avengers: Endgame ($2.77 billion), Don Cheadle is joining LeBron James in Warner Bros.’ Space Jam 2, which is currently in production.
Being in Space Jam probably introduced you to a whole new generation of fans. How did your role in that movie come together and what’s it like to be part of a classic film? Muggsy Bogues: Space Jam was – and still is – such an iconic, classic movie. That’s not even something we thought about. The fact that it’s still relevant today is incredible. It was a family movie so everyone could enjoy it, from the parents down to the kids. Having the opportunity to take part in it was surreal for me. Michael , Patrick , , and myself all had the same agent: David Falk. I don’t know how it all came about behind the scenes. They felt like I should be one of the cast members. But, believe it or not, I got hurt and I needed surgery, so they actually brought in Tim Hardaway to read my lines and I think they were going to go with Tim because of my injury. But once I read my lines and they felt comfortable I could work through my injury, they actually created a little dolly to pull me on so it looked like I was walking. They made it work. I was thankful that they made it work.
When production on the movie began in 1995, Michael Jordan had just come back from retirement … so he and Pippen were teammates in the Chicago Bulls again — which had people wondering why didn’t #33 have a significant role??? So, when we saw Pip at LAX on Thursday, we needed that explanation!!! I think I was injured or recovering from offseason injuries,” Pippen said … “I wasn’t able to participate.” If he WAS healthy though, Pippen says he would have agreed to a role in a heartbeat.
Think a torn ACL could stop Klay Thompson from shooting “Space Jam 2?!” Think again!! The Golden State Warriors superstar crutched his way on to the L.A. movie set on Wednesday — just weeks after injuring his knee during Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Shams Charania: Sources: Space Jam 2, starring LeBron James, is expected to feature key roles for Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson and WNBA stars Diana Taurasi and Nneka Ogwumike. Several more NBA and WNBA players, including Chiney Ogwumike, are expected to play roles in film.
It’s been well known that James has struggled to find NBA stars to be in “Space Jam 2” alongside him, but the King could have his co-star, and it isn’t Lonzo Ball. Warriors star Klay Thompson is “locked in” to star in the film along with James, FOX Sports’ Jason McIntyre reported Saturday on “The Jason McIntyre Show.” “Everybody thinks (Klay Thompson) is probably staying with the Warriors and I would agree with that,” McIntyre said. “But I heard some news this week that could change things. That Klay Thompson is now ‘locked in’ to do ‘Space Jam 2.’ I don’t think that news is anywhere. “I Googled it last night, I went on the internet. Nobody has it. I do believe an announcement will come out after The Finals that Klay Thompson is committed to ‘Space Jam 2,’ he will be in the movie.”
FOX Sports Radio: “This isn’t anywhere yet but #KlayThompson is locked in to appear in #SpaceJam2. He’s from around here, his dad is a #Lakers announcer…I think there is a legit chance he winds up there.” – @jasonrmcintyre #LakeShow
It’s more complicated than it seems. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that fellow All-Stars Stephen Curry, James Harden and Kevin Durant likely won’t join James on the celluloid court. But that has more to do with sneaker contracts and the film’s script — the latest version is being penned by Black Panther’s Ryan Coogler and Searching’s Sev Ohanian — and less to do with James’ ability to enlist high-profile ballers. In fact, Warner Bros. is responsible for roping in talent, not James.
Those familiar with the script say Space Jam 2 will rely less heavily on a Dream Team of hoops luminaries than the Michael Jordan-led film, which saw more than a dozen real-life NBA stars cameo and grossed $231 million worldwide, not adjusted for inflation. Instead, LeBron’s family arc is key, with a yet-to-be-cast teen character named Dom as the second lead, sources say.
Antetokounmpo does make summer modifications to accommodate relaxation and family time. Still, when approached about starring in “Space Jam 2” with LeBron James, Antetokounmpo declined. Being in the film would have required him to give up two weeks of private workouts to train with his fellow stars while making the movie, a total non-starter, given Antetokounmpo’s reclusive tendencies.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ owner’s daughter is on board with Giannis turning down a role in LeBron’s “Space Jam 2” … ’cause Mallory Edens tells TMZ Sports she thinks it’s a GOOD thing!!! “If you think about it right now, LeBron is Giannis’ peer,” Mallory says … “I don’t think he should idolize him in a way like a normal basketball fan [would].”
Mark Medina: Nick Young’s pitch to be in Space Jam 2: “You gotta have a Swaggy in Space Jam. If you want to sell tickets, you got to have me. I can give them swag once they get their powers taken. They can come to me & I can be a sorcerer of Swag. I can hand it out to them & give them hope.”
Alex Kennedy: This afternoon, I asked @Damian Lillard if he would be interested in joining the cast of Space Jam 2 alongside @LeBron James. Lillard texted, “Yessir.” pic.twitter.com/tYB873nmOS
After years of rumors and discussion, Space Jam 2 is officially a go with LeBron James starring, Terence Nance directing, and Black Panther‘s Ryan Coogler producing. It has all the makings of a potential All-Star team — and yet they still have to fill out the roster.
I’m not sure how excited I am to watch “Space Jam 2”. I think LeBron James is a slightly better actor than Michael Jordan, and the original “Space Jam” was nothing to shake a stick at. I’m the perfect age for Space Jam to have meant something to me, but having watched the film as an adult I can tell you it’s largely underwhelming. Still, Space Jam 2 is set to film this summer and we finally have a confirmation of that fact from LeBron himself. Speaking at All-Star Weekend, James told a crowd in Charlotte that they are indeed going to film once the season is over.
‘Space Jam 2’ director Terence Nance promised the highly anticipated movie featuring Lakers superstar LeBron James will “disrupt everything”. James is following in the footsteps of Michael Jordan in more ways than one as he prepares to bring ‘Space Jam’ back to the big screen, with the NBA great set to star in the sequel.
And perhaps nothing on the King’s off-the-court agenda has received as much attention as the upcoming reboot of Space Jam, starring James and produced by James’ SpringHill Entertainment. The director for the film, Terence Nance, has some high hopes for the film, which he believes will be a disruptive force in the industry, especially in regards to traditional standards of masculinity. From VICE’s Taylor Hosking: I asked if he had plans to shake up traditional conceptions of masculinity with Space Jam 2. “Pretty sure going to disrupt everything,” he told me in the fall of last year. “I’m excited about what that movie can be.”“Pretty sure going to disrupt everything,” he told me in the fall of last year. “I’m excited about what that movie can be.”
“Who doesn’t like ‘Space Jam’ and Michael Jordan?” LaVine said after the movie. “The season is about to start, so I’m just trying to keep it light.” He couldn’t remember exactly how old he was the first time he saw the film, which was released when he was 20 months old. He estimated he has seen it dozens of times, though Paul thought it was closer to 200. When LaVine was a child and the closing credits would roll, he would ask his father to rewind the tape and start it from the beginning.
Mike Trudell: Magic was asked if he’ll be in Space Jam 2, starring LeBron, and quipped: “Yeah if they have the budget for me, I’ll be in it … my quota is high.” Went on to say he admired MJ in Space Jam 1 and looks forward to seeing what LeBron does with 2.
After James signed on, Carter brought in Coogler, whom he had met through actor and frequent Coogler collaborator Michael B. Jordan (the three had driven from L.A. to Las Vegas to see a boxing match, and when Jordan fell asleep, Carter and Coogler talked “for three hours, just about life and work and hip-hop and friends and family, everything … we’ve been friends ever since,” says Carter). They tapped Terence Nance, who created HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness, to direct. Production is tentatively slated for 2019 during the NBA’s off-season. Like the original, the new movie is sure to be well stocked with cameos from NBA players. But Jordan? “We’ll see,” says Carter, “Hopefully there will be a role for Michael if he wants it. But Michael Jordan is Michael Fuckin’ Jordan. It doesn’t matter [if James] calls him, he’s gonna do whatever the hell he wants, which he has earned that right to do.” And then he adds: “LeBron and Michael are not sitting around talking about Space Jam.”
Carter and James stress that their version will not be a sequel, though it could certainly be the beginning of a new franchise. “There’s already been one that was good, we gotta make a film that’s great,” says Carter.
In his first project since directing the record-breaking Black Panther, Ryan Coogler is teaming with LeBron James on the long-anticipated follow-up to the Michael Jordan-Bugs Bunny hit Space Jam, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Coogler will produce the new Space Jam movie and Terence Nance, who created HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness and directed the experimental film The Oversimplification of Her Beauty, will direct. Production on the Warner Bros. film is tentatively slated for 2019, during the NBA off-season. It will be James’ first starring role after a successful turn as a supporting character in the 2015 Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck.
August 8, 2022 | 12:48 pm EDT Update
JD Shaw: Free agent guard Craig Randall II has signed with the NBL’s Adelaide 36ers. Randall averaged 26.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the G League this past season. He most recently played summer league with the Blazers.
Jayson Tatum: 'I learned that I'm 24 and one of the best players in the world'
“(I learned) that I’m 24 and one of the best players in the world and that I will compete against whoever and take on that challenge,” Tatum said. “In that same breath, I feel like there’s so much I could be better at, and I think that’s the exciting part. That I’m at where I’m at, where there’s so much more I can be, so much more I can learn and so many more experiences to go through.”
Boston gave Tatum the supermax rookie extension. He’s their designated star, even if Brown was the better player in June and has been instrumental to the team’s success. Tatum’s input always matters because they’re building around him. Brown and Smart have undoubtedly been a part of that foundation, but they’ve also been in trade rumors as long as they can remember. Not Tatum. He’s deeply entrenched, though he says he’s staying out of it anyway. “The cool part about his job is Brad don’t tell me how to do my job anymore. You not the coach,” Tatum said with a sly grin. “He lets me do my thing. I let him do his thing. In all honesty, that’s his decision and that’s his job.”
After a conference-finals run in the bubble, Boston seemed primed to take the next step. It stumbled instead. Then last year, it came together in such a whirlwind that Tatum is now the top scorer on the betting favorite for the 2023 title, a team that just brought in two established veterans to shore up offensive pitfalls from the playoff run. It’s why, in spite of a tough finals defeat, Tatum’s confident the Celtics are ready to come back and pull it off this time. “I mean, what kind of teammate would I be if I said no?” he said. “We got this close, and we added two really good players. I think it makes us better.”
Tatum expects he’s going to be ready to put his team back in position to win a ring. Whether that’s starting off the season connected offensively or pacing himself to keep his legs fresh from October to June, he’s taken in another lesson on greatness. But he recognizes that doesn’t guarantee anything. “It’s not a ‘for sure’ thing, you know. You have to put in the work. You have to take the right steps,” Tatum said. “But I’m positive that we got the right group that will buy in, and we can’t look past anything and just try to coast our way to the finals. We gotta start from training camp. We gotta start from Day 1.”
Stephen Curry: 'Defending the title is tough, but we're excited about the opportunity'
Curry is running out of room to run in this offseason with training camp drawing near. He’s taken pauses to see how the Warriors are re-tooling to defend their 2022 title. “I’m excited,” Curry said. “It’s gonna look a little different, but you can blend the championship experience with where we were at the beginning of last year. Put that all together and try to keep this thing going. Defending is tough, but we’re excited about the opportunity.”
