Space Jam 2: Picking the NBA Players who could star alongside LeBron James
LeBron James perfectly fits the bill of an NBA superstar with a career on the big screen. He's a megastar on the court, a high-profile, outspoken personality off it, and now the final piece of the puzzle is complete with his move to Los Angeles. NBA stars making appearances on the big screen is nothing new.
We've seen Ray Allen as Jesus Shuttlesworth, Kyrie Irving as Uncle Drew, Shaquille O'Neal as Kazaam, Michael Jordan and co. as themselves in Space Jam (a film worthy of an Oscar in my humble opinion), and many others. Kobe Bryant even won an Oscar earlier this year for his animated short 'Dear Basketball'.
The trend of NBA stars loving the Hollywood spotlight isn't new, either; Hall of famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving both appeared in films in the 1970s.
LeBron isn't new to the big screen after starring in many documentaries about his life and making cameo appearances in cartoons and movies such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Teen Titans, and Trainwreck. There is one title, however, that we've been waiting his whole career to see: SPACE JAM 2. It was announced in 2014 that Space Jam 2 would be happening, but very few details have since followed (besides a cryptic cartoon featuring Blake Griffin, more on that in a moment).
The IMDB page for Space Jam 2 exists, but even with some good detective work the only details it gives away are that LeBron will be starring in it, two no-name actors with a combined six titles on their IMDB filmography pages have been confirmed as extras for some reason, and, as expected, several other NBA all-stars will be featuring in the film. The description for the film says "LeBron James and several other NBA All-Stars team up with the Looney Tunes for this long-awaited sequel".
It confirms what we already know, but it also raises a far more important question: who will be the NBA all-stars teaming up with LeBron? Here are some current and former NBA all-stars who fit the bill.
Wildcards
Not everyone in Space Jam was an all-star; remember Muggsy Bogues and Shawn Bradley? Isaiah Thomas has publicly stated his desire to fill the short guy role in Space Jam 2, which makes sense given he's the shortest player in the league. He missed out on the big payday he deserved, he went through hell in last year's playoffs, and now he is basically irrelevant. Please Warner Bros, let the man be Muggsy 2.0 at least.
Thomas is in as Muggsy, then Boban Marjanovic - the tallest player in the league - has to be in as Shawn Bradley.
I don't care in what capacity, but ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith absolutely has to get some screen time. Just imagine a classic Stephen A. Smith rant about the events of NBA players having their talents stolen. It would be magical.
Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving could each create a fun dynamic as former teammates of LeBron's. Another former teammate in J.R. Smith would be hilarious after the events of the 2018 NBA Finals.
Al Horford randomly strikes me as a guy who would be a randomly talented actor, I could see him playing a Patrick Ewing-type role well.
And last but most certainly not least, the only basketball player better than Michael Jordan, LaVar Ball needs to get a gig now that LeBron is on the Lakers with his boy Lonzo. Even if he wasn't, the options for including LaVar are too good to pass up. He could be the comic relief character, just like how Stan (better known as Wayne Knight, even better known as Newman from Seinfeld) provided comic relief in the original Space Jam.