What Basketball Player Was In Space Jam?

Space Jam had a cast with the legendary Michael Jordan who played himself in the movie. Based on Looney Tunes, it was directed by Joe Pytka.

Jordan had retired after his father’s demise and went on to pursue baseball, the Looney Tunes characters ask MJ to come out of retirement.

They ask him to help them win against the aliens in a basketball match to save them from being enslaved as attractions in the park.

The Tune Squad was dominated in the first half by the Monstars. Jordan and Bugs then motivate the squad with a bottle of “secret stuff” and improve the following half.

The stake was high as MJ had said that if the squad wins, the Monstars have to give up their stolen talent and if the squad loses, Air Jordan becomes a new attraction.

With a point down and only 10 seconds left in the game, Jordan uses cartoon physics that enables him to extend his arms and score a slam dunk to win the match.

In the end, Michael returns to the NBA after he is convinced by the five players who regain their talents after Jordan returns them.

The Space Jam Air Jordan 11s that he wore during the movie were sold at an auction for a grand total of $176,400.

Space Jam and its sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) has LeBron James as himself. LeBron also co-produced the film with three others.

The 2021 sequel was released with a running time of 115 minutes. It was directed by Malcolm D. Lee and distributed by Warner Bros Pictures.

After James has an altercation with his son, Dom is trapped by the AI-G in the Serververse. LeBron is tasked to form an alliance with the Looney Tunes to win the game.

James has to win the basketball game to earn his son’s freedom and travels several worlds to locate other Tunes characters with Bugs Bunny.

During the game, the Akron Hammer and co. are dominated in the first half and later take advantage of a glitch in Dom’s game wherein after performing a specific move, a character is deleted.

He performs the move and Bugs also does that and in the process sacrifices himself. King James scores the winning point which deletes the AI-G and Goon Squad. In the end, the Looney Tunes move in with LeBron as his extended family in the real world.

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley also featured in Space Jam (1996). The movie with Jordan as the lead had Barkley playing himself in the movie.

The invading aliens (Nerlucks) who wanted to enslave the Looney Tunes as attractions steal the talents of various talents in order to win the match.

The Nerdlucks disguise themselves as humans and attend a basketball game to scout players so that they can steal their talent and identify Charles as a good player who was nailing the game.

Charles is confused and does not know what to do in the court as the Nerdlucks stole his talent. After losing his talent, Barkley plays a game with the smaller kids and is embarrassed by them as he just can’t cope with them.

The short basketball player in Space Jam (1996) is Muggsy Bogues. The 5 feet 3 inches tall Muggsy featured in the movie as himself.

Bouges was picked 12th overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by Washington Bullets. The point guard went on to play 14 seasons in the league.

In the film, just like Barkley, the talent of Bogues is also stolen by the invading aliens who are desperate to win the basketball match.

Muggsy was dribbling the ball when all of a sudden he forgets what he was doing and loses possession of the ball, all because of the Nerdlucks stealing his talent.

Space Jam (1996) also featured the 7 feet 6 inches giant Shawn Bradley. The former NBA point guard portrayed himself in the movie.

Just like the others, Shawn was another player that had his talent stolen by the Nerdlucks while he was on the court.

After his talent was stolen by the aliens, Bradley doesn’t just lose his playing abilities, but somehow ends up forgetting how to properly walk.

Moreover, the film showcases the aliens with stolen talents transforming into muscular and gigantic creatures in addition to the players’ talents.

Patrick Ewing, one of the most hyped NBA prospects ever, also featured in the animated sports film. Ewing played himself in Space Jam (1996).

The 7-foot gigantic center was another notable player whose talents were stolen by the Nerdlucks while he was in a basketball match.

Right after Barkley is taken off the court, Ewing can be seen driving through the defense and scoring a dunk and had been awarded a free throw due to a defensive foul.

He is confused and dumbfounded and can not get hold of the ball that is thrown toward him by the referee for a free throw. Patrick ends up shooting the free throw far away into the stand and hits a waiter in the head.

Larry Johnson also graced the movie with his presence. Five years before Space Jam was released, Larry was the no. 1 pick for Charlotte Hornets.

The Nerdlucks completed their team in the film by stealing the talents of five players with Larry completing the list as the 5th player.

Jordan is watching the news when he sees Muggsy losing possession of the ball and later sees LJ spilling water all over himself while he tries to drink it.

Larry along with the other four players all go through a series of tests to determine what exactly happened to them and can be seen being strolled in a wheelchair.

LA Lakers power forward/center Anthony Davis played the character of The Brow in the sequel movie, Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021).

With LeBron in the Tunes Squad, his Lakers team-mate is a member of the Goon Squad in the movie and instead of arms, he has eagle-like wings.

The character of Anthony is named after his real-life nickname and is seen as a blue character and depicts a similar featured Anthony Davis with his signature unibrow. 

In addition to his basketball skills, Davis is shown to possess enhanced superpowers and the ability to fly due to his wings in the sports film.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard also appeared in Space Jam: A New Legacy. Lillard is seen as Chronos in the 2021 movie.

Damian is also part of the Goon Squad. He is featured in a gold robotic avatar and is based on his real-life nickname “Dame Time”.

Lillard has the special ability to influence the speed and time of the players that are around him and comes off the bench as the Goon’s secret weapon.

He is considered the most powerful villain due to his special abilities and therefore is not a starter or else it would be impossible for the Tunes Squad to win.

Klay Thompson played the character of Wet-Fire in the 2021 sequel. 6 feet 6 inches tall Klay is an elite 3-point scorer for Golden State Warriors.

Teaming up with Davis and Lillard, with James as their opponent, Thompson is the fourth NBA star to feature in the movie. His character is based on the nickname “Splash Brothers”.

In the movie, Klay has the ability to alter between forms based on water and fire and can use it any time he wants. The water form grants him the ability to hit 3s at will and the fire form gives him the ability to go all out during the game.