King James is ready to build hisNew Legacy.
That is, untilLeBron Jamesemerged as the answer to both.
When Dom’s tech skills draw the attention ofDon Cheadle’s rogue A.I.
Warner Bros. Pictures
So was it always one of those key films for you?
LEBRON JAMES:There were a lot of films for me, butSpace Jamwas definitely up there.
So it definitely had a big part of my childhood.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Nah, I can’t remember the first thought.
That’s just the imagination of a kid.
Why did that timing not feel right?
Warner Bros. Pictures
I’m sure it being so early in your NBA career had to factor in.
It’s just like you said, it’s all about timing.
I felt like I owed it to myself, to the game.
Justin Lubin/Warner Bros.
And now we’re months away from the world actually seeing what we were able to create.
Or is that just something you couldn’t let affect the decision?
There’s always going to be conversations about LeBron trying to do everything that Michael [did].
So when I was younger, you’d give in to those.
But I’ve gotten older, and you know who you are.
You know what you believe in, and you know what you stand for.
Those throw in of conversations are going to happen anyway.
They don’t really get to you as much as they [would] when you’re younger.
I did my best to continue it.
I think one thing that we will show the viewers is that it’s not a sequel.
It’s its own movie and twist.
I respect that, and I held that with lot of responsibility.
Oh yeah, there was definitely nerves leading up to it, just not knowing what to expect.
As aSpace Jamfan, I’m sure there was a bit of pinching yourself early on.
I think the first time I put on the uniform and the court was laid down.
[I’m] really shootingSpace Jam."
I’m very humbled by that.
What was filming like on this?
Sounds like it was long hours, not to mention it took up your last two offseasons.
It’s definitely different from basketball, that’s for sure.
A lot of long days.
I would go train around 3:30 a.m. for about two hours.
And then I would go on set around 7 a.m. and start preparing.
There were some days that would go into the wee hours of the night.
There were some days you would not have to go as long, but you never knew.
You always had to be ready.
It sounds like you guys had a little bit of that going on here too.
How fun was it get to have that level of competition with your peers and costars during breaks?
So I took that from him.
It was beautiful and something I will never forget.
Was there a lot of campaigning to be cast?
[Laughs] Absolutely.
Asking for a friend."
A lot of people my age or even younger just remember the classic.
So here we don’t have the Monstars, instead the Tune Squad is facing the Goon Squad.
What would be your scouting report of the Goon Squad?
Is there maybe an NBA team comparison to be made?
No, there’s no NBA team that compares to this team right now.
The Goon Squad is probably the best team ever assembled in basketball history.
Then even throw in the stakes for you and your movie son.
Have you had a chance to consider what that will do for your legacy?
I think that combo would be hard for anyone to ever top.
That’s something that has crossed my mind a lot.
[Laughs] We’ll see what happens.
I’m so excited.
We’re sitting in February, and July is right around the corner, so I can’t wait.
Man, I love that guy.
He’s become one of my really good friends.
He’s an unbelievable guy, unbelievable professional, just great energy, great chemistry.
And he already knows how to play basketball.
Don’t let him fool you.
It was an incredible time.
We all grew up with the Tunes and how funny and how loony and how crazy that gang was.
We were able to dive into some of those worlds, along with some other ones that…
I gave you a couple, but I want to save some for the film.
Did you even surprise yourself a bit?
I wanted to dive into the character, even though I was playing LeBron James.
And if there were times where I needed to be emotional, I wanted to dive into that.
It was fun to be able to be coached.
Just like in the NBA, I like to be coached by my coaches.
This is not a sequel.
The movie stands on its own.
It’s going to be exciting.
Space Jam: A New Legacypremieres July 16 in theaters and on HBO Max.
