Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is hoping for a big month of July, when the 2021 NBA Finals are set to take place, both on and off the court.
L.A. is still hoping to defend the title this year despite a challenging first part of the 2020-21 season. The Lakers have over four months to prepare for a grueling championship run as the postseason can end as late as July 22. However, there surely is another date circled in James’ calendar around that time.
In mid-July, the world will be able to watch the 36-year-old save his fictional son Dom from the virtual trap set by an evil computer algorithm AI-G Rhythm in the reboot of the 1996 blockbuster Space Jam. Sports a No. 23 Looney Tunes jersey, James will team up with No. 1 Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Tune Squad in ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ scheduled for release on July 16.
The four-time NBA champions recently offered fans a sneak peek of the movie sharing some of the first-look pictures featured in Entertainment Weekly on Twitter. In the exclusive photo collection, James can be seen high-fiving Lola — promised to be the team’s best player besides the Lakers All-Star — and scheming with the angry-looking Tweety:
Y’ALL NOT READY FOR THIS SQUAD!!!! ???????????????? @spacejammovie @EW pic.twitter.com/8ogu758fsO
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 4, 2021
Meanwhile, Bugs traditionally seems petrified by the happenings around him – in an ominous sign for the Tune Squad considered he’s set to run the game as the point guard.
Many familiar faces will join James on his Space Jam quest. Lakers teammates Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma as well as Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, Chris Paul, Diana Taurasi, Nneka Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike are set to make their cameos.
The movie will be streamed exclusively on HBO Max in addition to the standard theatre release.
James explains why Gobert, Mitchell were picked last in All-Star Draft
Despite the league pausing games for over a week due to the All-Star break, James’ schedule remains busy as usual. The forward took part in the 2021 All-Star Draft on Thursday night, completing Team LeBron’s roster ahead of this Sunday’s All-Star Game in Atlanta.
While James and rival captain Kevin Durant selected Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kyrie Irving with the first and second pick respectively, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, which owns the best record in the NBA at the halfway mark of the season, were drafted last.
Accused by Charles Barkley of “slandering” Utah, James came up with a hilarious justification of the draft order, which was likely to have enraged the surging franchise. “You guys got to understand… just like in video games growing up, we never played with Utah,” he said.
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