The History And Legacy of Space Jam

Netflix has been putting out some great documentaries recently and among them is The Last Dance, a 10-part documentary series that explores Michael Jordan’s career, focusing on his last season with the Chicago Bulls.

The documentary series is about the Chicago Bulls during the Air Jordan era, and Jordan’s competitive spirit. Unfortunately, it glosses over one of the more defining moments in Michael Jordan’s career – moments that took Jordan from mere superstar athlete to a man that defined the sport. One of those moments was the release of the 1996 film Space Jam.

The unlikely pairing of Bugs Bunny with Michael Jordan ended up becoming a huge hit. However, the film may not have come to fruition if it wasn’t for the duos' appearance in a Super Bowl commercial.

In 1992, Nike aired an ad for Michael Jordan’s line of Air Jordan sneakers during that year’s Super Bowl that paired Jordan with the most popular creature in the Looney Tunes franchise.

The ad was the brainchild of advertising legend and lifelong cartoon fan Jim Riswold. It proved to be incredibly successful, and inspiring a 1993 follow-up in which Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan re-team to retrieve a load of stolen Air Jordans from Martin Martian. However, it was Jordan’s agent David Falk who had the idea to go the extra mile and take this partnership to Hollywood.
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In the film, Michael Jordan finds himself becoming the player-coach of Bugs Bunny and team of cartoon characters after they challenge evil space minions to a basketball game to save themselves from interplanetary enslavement.
Little do they know that their adversaries have stolen the talent of the NBA’s best such as Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing proving to be a challenge even for one of the best players ever to touch a basketball.
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Little do they know that their adversaries have stolen the talent of the NBA’s best such as Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing proving to be a challenge even for one of the best players ever to touch a basketball.

The success of Space Jam is an enduring cult favourite of the ‘90s. Now blending animation, special effects and live action is commonplace but for its time, the film was amazingly cutting edge and still holds up well.

Space Jam was released in theatres in the winter of 96 and went on to earn an international gross of more than $230 million. The soundtrack also won a Grammy and went six-times platinum.

Unfortunately, Space Jam wasn’t given more airtime in the documentary since it was part of what defined the Michael Jordan era and helped build his mystique.

More than 20 years later, Warner Bros. is set to release a sequel to Space Jam, which will see Bugs Bunny joining forces with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. LeBron will serve as a producer and already has some acting experience in comedy Trainwreck. 

LeBron is seen as the heir to the Air Jordan throne. There is, of course, much debate over who is the better player but LeBron has certainly learned a thing or two from Jordan. For one, LeBron has been heavily into filmmaking, founding the production company SpringHill Entertainment with his manager Maverick Carter in 2013. LeBron even has a Youtube animated series called The LeBrons.
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Would have LeBron ventured into filmmaking if it hadn’t been for Space Jam? It would probably be unlikely. While some Michael Jordan fans might grumble about the new Space Jam out of nostalgia, there is no doubt that Air Jordan’s legacy lives on, long after M.J.’s retirement.