LeBron James confirmed ‘Space Jam 2’ will be released in 2021, furthering the debate that he is the true basketball GOAT
On Thursday, LeBron James confirmed via Twitter that “Space Jam 2” will be released in summer 2021. This movie will add fuel to the fire as to which player, James or Michael Jordan, is the greatest of all time (GOAT), a debate that fans have argued about for years.
Jordan graced our screens in the original “Space Jam” with Bugs Bunny and other Looney Toons characters in 1996. Now, more than 20 years later, James has decided to take on the heavy task of a sequel to that legendary film.
This will be no easy task. According to Box Office Mojo, the original “Space Jam” is the highest grossing basketball film of all time.
James has spent the majority of his career in the shadow of Jordan. The debate is not between who is the greatest of their time, but the greatest of all time.
Thanks to Jordan’s legacy and what he brought to the basketball world, James learned and evolved from his techniques. “Space Jam 2” will equally evolve thanks to the work of James. I believe “Space Jam 2” will be the hit of 2021. It might even surpass the original as the greatest basketball movie of all time.
James already has acting experience, thanks to Amy Schumer’s “Trainwreck,” and he will also have a huge production backing him. The director of “Black Panther,” Ryan Coogler, has joined as a producer for the film, increasing its chances of overtaking the original.
With Coogler and James on the same team, the original “Space Jam” will be recognized only for the nostalgia it brings. This is similar to how old-school ballplayers compare James to Jordan, saying Jordan is still the GOAT. That is simply nostalgia talking.
Don’t get me wrong, Jordan’s career is incredible, a true legacy. He revolutionized basketball. However, the defenses he played at that time were much weaker than those of today’s NBA.
In an article in SB Nation, Mike Prada discussed how the NBA of 2019 is far different from what it was twenty plus years ago.
“Today’s game is fast, guard-driven, perimeter-oriented, spacing-infested, chaotic. Outside shooting is the most important offensive skill; lateral quickness and length tie for the most essential defensive one,” Prada said. “The 1990’s game, on the other hand, was everything today’s game is not. It was slow, post-oriented, physical, structured. If you were big and/or tall, you had a huge advantage.”
The GOAT debate should not be based on nostalgia. Jordan was an innovator and a rebel for the style he brought to the court. The NBA has changed a lot since he left 20 years ago, and that change has brought a new king, King James.
“Space Jam 2” symbolizes this change. Rather than creating a new film entirely, James is honoring Jordan’s work and building it into a new film, which will further revolutionize basketball culture.
If he has not already, James will claim his crown as the true basketball GOAT on July 16, 2021. When the end credits roll, the world will finally come together and know that James is the GOAT, at least until a new challenger arises.