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Nostalgia has proven itself a powerful force in the entertainment industry. As a result, no franchise is safe from reboot or sequel. The first trailer for Warner Bros.' Space Jam: A New Legacy recently arrived, starring LeBron James alongside a ton of familiar faces. The movie looks like a CGI spectacle and marks the first starring role for James, although he was recently knocked down a few pegs by friend and colleague Richard Jefferson. The ESPN analyst took the time to roast LeBron as the movie's trailer broke the internet.
Richard Jefferson had a long and successful career as a NBA player, before retiring and becoming a TV personality, analyst, and podcaster. The first trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy made its way around the internet, with the public shocked by how many non-Looney Tunes characters were going to appear in the blockbuster. There was much talk about the visual effects, and Jefferson poked fun at LeBron James' hairline, commenting on the trailer by saying:
LeBron James might need some Neosporin, because he just got burned. Space Jam: A New Legacy has the potential to be game changer for James' budding acting career, as he gets top billing and does extensive green screen work. But that doesn't mean his friends intend on letting him celebrate this without a few playful jabs.
The above comment was left on LeBron James' Instagram post. The athlete turned actor shared the trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy, which was seen a whopping 10 million views on his social media account. And while the comments on the post featured plenty of adoring fans and excited moviegoers, Richard Jefferson also took the time to dunk on Lebron. Specifically, his hairline.
Space Jam: A New Legacy will be released on HBO Max and theaters. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
Given how many fans LeBron James and Richard Jefferson share, the hilarious comment got a ton of attention on Instagram. At the time of writing this story, Jefferson's jab amassed over 14,000 likes. There were also hundreds of responses, and a number of cry-laughing emojis. Because who doesn't love a friendly dig? Especially when it's available for LeBron's 81 million Instagram followers.
As a reminder, you can check out the trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy below. LeBron James gets the full cartoon treatment, before eventually returning to live-action. And yes, his hairline looks amazing.
As a result of the original Space Jam's iconography, fans were expecting to see LeBron James in a high stakes basketball game alongside the Looney Tunes. This new installment does appear to be playing by very different rules, as the entire catalogue of Warner Bros. properties will seemingly be able to make a cameo in the giant movie. Is this basically Ready Player One? Only time will tell.
LeBron James made his film debut in Amy Schumer's Trainwreck, and got a ton of praise for his natural charisma and comedic timing. Since then he's continued working on projects like Smallfoot, but Space Jam: A New Legacy is definitely his biggest role to date. We'll just have to see how the highly anticipated movie hold up against the beloved original.
Space Jam: A New Legacy will hit theaters and HBO Max on July 16th. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.
