It has been confirmed; Summer 2021, 25 years after Michael Jordan blessed the world with acting abilities that in absolutely no way rivaled his basketball prowess, we are going to have a sequel to his cinematic masterpiece, Space Jam. Sarcasm aside, Michael Jordan’s name has been synonymous with LeBron James’ in the online universe over the years. A favorite past time of NBA fans is to debate the two of them when it comes to the title of “Greatest Of All Time,” or as how us fans like to abbreviate it, “GOAT.” However, where we once compared their individual greatness and accolades, we now get to compare and contrast whether a Michael Jordan led Looney Tunes squad could beat that same team, but led by LeBron James—the possibilities are endless!
LeBron James was only 11 years old when those dastardly Nerdlucks began to wreak havoc across the NBA under the command of their leader, Mr. Swackhammer (voiced by Danny DeVito). Sneaking into NBA arenas across the United States through ridiculous movie animations, the Nerdlucks would physically possess and steal the talent from NBA players. They would form a formidable basketball team filled with high level talent they stole (to put into today’s perspective, they might have taken the Warriors 5 games) to ultimately play the Looney Tunes.
Mr. Swackhammer’s little henchmen proceeded to take the physical beings of the basketball players’ talent they had stolen and gave themselves a new monicker, “Monstars.” Now filled with confidence and Napoleon complexes, a challenge was laid out between the Looney Tunes and the Monstars. A basketball game was to be played out and if the Looney Tunes, who would go on to be known as the “Tune Squad,” were to lose they would be deemed slaves for the rest of their days over at Mr. Swackhammer’s Moron Mountain. The Looney Tunes were filled with angst and panic except for their reliable leader Bugs Bunny who would come up with the clever idea to enlist the help of Michael Jordan. Now you may have thought Jordan was impressive 5 games out of retirement when he dropped a double nickel against John Starks and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, but that’s nothing in comparison to what he did in Space Jam. Led by Michael Jeffrey Jordan, and with heroic efforts like Bill Murray coming off the bench to provide a crucial lift, the Looney Tunes would escape with a win and fight off eternal damnation.
What really is a foolish, yet fun and innocent movie that was scorned by critics has stood the test of time and has a special spot in our hearts. From a cosmetic standpoint, Space Jam gave us “Tune Squad” jerseys that are still sought after today, and a classic pair of Jordan 11’s named after the movie. R. Kelly, Seal, and The Quad City DJ’s also contributed by providing a soundtrack that would perfectly set the tone for the movie.
The question moving forward is will LeBron James, who dons the number 23 on his back and has had comparisons to Jordan his entire career, be able to rise to the occasion and aid the Looney Tunes? Or will he be upset with how Elmer Fudd is playing and try to cut a deal at the deadline? Questions will be answered in the Summer of 2021.
Nolan Jensen is a Contributor for the Unwrapped Sports Network website. Follow him @NolanJensen_ on Twitter.